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•  Presented    by~V^^^5\<^<2/^^  V^Wo 


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BX  9941  .TA29  1862 

Thayer,  Thomas  Baldwin,  181^ 

-1886. 
Theology  of  universalism 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2009  witii  funding  from 

Princeton  Tiieologicai  Seminary  Library 


http://www.arcliive.org/details/tlieologyofuniverOOtliay 


Ctji^ijljjgu  rf  Mitikrsa&m : 


BEING 


AN  EXPOSITION  OF  ITS  DOCTRmES  AND  TEACHINGS, 


IN  THEIB 


LOGICAL  AND  MORAL  RELATIONS; 

INCLUDING 

SI  Crttfcistn  of  tfjc  VLtxtn, 

CITED     IN     PROOF    OF     THE    TRINITr,     VICARIOUS     ATONEMENT, 

NATURAL   DEPRAVITY,    A    GENERAL   JUDGMENT     AND 

ENDLESS   PUNISHMENT. 


/ 


V 

BY  THOMAS   BALDWIN   THAYER. 


BOSTON: 

TOIVERSALIST    PUBLISHING    HOUSE, 

No.    37    COENHILL. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1862,  by 


In  tbe  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  MassachuBettk 


PREFACE 


The  title  page  and  table  of  contents  sufficiently  indicate  the 
general  character  and  object  of  this  work.  It  is  only  necessary 
to  mention  two  or  three  special  features. 

First :  It  embodies  in  one  volume  the  views  of  the  denomina- 
tion on  all  the  leading  doctrines  of  Christian  Theology,  and  an 
exposition  of  the  more  important  words  and  phrases  supposed  to 
conflict  with  these  views.  It  thus  furnishes  a  comprehensive 
answer,  within  reach  of  all,  to  the  question — What  is  Universal- 
ism  ?  And  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  answer  to  it  is  in  such  form 
as  to  meet  the  wants  of  all  classes  of  readers,  and  to  command 
respectful  attention  from  the  Theologian  and  the  Scholar. 

Second  :  It  aims  to  show  that  Universalism  is  not  a  confused 
collection  of  doctrinal  fragments,  without  continuity  or  relation 
of  parts  ;  but  a  system  of  divinity,  a  tree  of  life  rooted  in  the 
character  and  perfections  of  Deity,  and  growing  up  naturally  in- 
to trunk  and  branches,  putting  forth  leaves,  and  buds,  and  blos- 
soms, and  finally  producing  the  ripe  fruit  of  a  Christian  life. 
And  as  the  Divine  character  and  perfections  constitute  the 
foundation  of  the  entire  argument,  and  the  basis  of  all  theological 
reasoning,  a  correspondingly  large  space  has  been  devoted  to  this 
theme. 

Third :  There  will  be  found  introduced  into  the  text  and  notes, 
liberal  quotations  from  Fathers  of  the  early  Church  ;  the  object 
being  to  call  attention  to  the  fact,  so  little  recognized,  that  the 


IV  PREFACE. 

doctrines  of  the  Church  immediately  subBequent  to  the  time  of 
Christ  and  his  apostles,  are  largely  identical  with  the  Universal- 
ism  of  to-day — and  that,  therefore,  it  is  not  a  new  thing,  but 
certainly  as  old  as  the  Christian  Church  and  the  New  Testament. 

Fourth  :  Citations  are  also  occasionally  given  from  the  popular 
authors  of  the  day,  and  from  teachers  of  all  Christian  commun- 
ions ;  wherein  they  have  expressed  their  rejection  of  the  doctrine 
of  endless  punishment,  or  their  faith  in  the  final  restoration 
This  is  done  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  this  faith  alone  feeds 
the  great  hunger  of  the  human  heart;  or,  as  Olshausen  says,  that 
'•  the  feeling  is  deeply  rooted  in  noble  minds,  and  is  the  expres- 
sion of  a  heartfelt  desire  for  a  perfect  harmony  of  the  creation." 
The  testimonies  reveal  the  fact  that  belief  in  this  final  harmony  of 
the  moral  universe,  or  a  tendency  to  belief,  is  the  natural  fruit* 
age  of  large  and  liberal  study,  of  a  generous  literary  and  scientific 
culture. 

It  is  only  justice  to  the  author  to  add,  that  it  is  not  pretended 
that  the  volume  is  a  thorough  treatise  on  the  various  subjects 
discussed  ;  but  an  attempt  only  to  indicate  the  way,  and  to 
show  their  natural  and  dogmatic  relations.  And  though  it  is  not 
all  that  was  wished  or  sought,  he  sends  it  forth  with  a  prayer  for 
the  divine  approval  and  blessing  ;  and  with  an  bumble  hope  that 
it  may  be  useful  in  promoting  among  men  the  knowledge,  and 
love,  and  practice  of  the  truth. 

Boston,  Nov, J  1862. 


TABLE  OF   CONTENTS. 


Paqb 

iNTEODUCTOfiY U 

CHAPTER  T.— God  and  His  Attributes.  15 

Section  L— God  the  Creator  —  Existence  of  Evil :  i.  Physical 

Evils;  II.  Evils  of  Ignorance  ;    iii.  Moral  Evil    16 

Sect.    H.— The  Wisdom  of  God  —  The  Plan  of  Creation 32 

Sect.  III.— The  Power  of  God  —  Omnipotence :  i.  Moral  and 
Spiritual,  as  well  as  Physical;  ii.  Freedom  of  the 
Human  Willj  or  "  Free  Agency"   o...     41 

Sect.    IV.-^The  Goodness  of  God — Infinite  and  Unchangeable . .     58 

Sect.  V.— The  Justice  of  God:  i.  What  is  Justice,  and  what 
does  it  demand  ?  ii.  Justice  has  claims  on  God  as 
well  as  on  man 70 

Sect.   VI.— God  the  Father  of  all  men  89 


CHAPTER  II. —  Christ — His  Nature,  Office,  Death  and 

Atonement. 

Section  I. — His  exalted  character  and  pre-existence— The  Trinity, 

evidences  for  and  against  it 103 

Sect.  H. — The  Atonement,  what  it  is,  and  how  we  are  recon- 
ciled and  saved  by  the  Death  of  Christ 123 

Sect.  HI. — The  death  of  Christ  not  vicarious -^Argument  from 
the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  :  i.  Christ  a  sacrifice 
for  sin;  ii.  Our  Passover;  in.  Our  Ransom;  iv. 
Redeems  us  from  the  cursp  of  the  Law ;  v.  Bears 
our  griefs,  ia  wounded  for  our  trangressions 136 


VI  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III.— Man  — The  Rectitude  of  nis  NATtRE— 
Original  Sin — Natural  Depravity. 

Section  I.— The  teaching  of  the  Bible  and  the  Early  Church  re- 
specting man's  moral  ability 1 46 

Sect.  II.— Special  proofs  of  the  Rectitude  of  Human  Nature..  154 
Sect.  III. — Criticism  of  texts  cited  in  proof  of  Natural  Depravity 
— '*  The  -wicked  estranged  from  the  womb" — 
"  Shapen  in  iniquity  and  conceived  in  sin" — 
•'  Every  imagination  of  the  heart  evil  continual- 
ly"—" Children  of  wrath  by  nature' '— '  *  The  nat- 
ural man" — "  The  carnal  mind" 161 

CHAPTER  IV. —  The    Scriptural    Doctrine  of  Regene* 

RATION,    or    the   NeW    BiRTH CONVERSION 

— Water  Baptism.  167 

Section  I.— Born  again  —  Born  of  God  —  Born  of  the  Spirit 168 

Sect.  II. — Regeneration — New  Creature — New  Man — Giving  a 
New  Heart — Creating  in  Christ  Jesus  —  Quicken- 
ing from  the  Dead  —  §  Water  Baptism 179 

CHAPTER  v.— Salvation,  what  it  is  —  The  New  Testa- 
ment Doctrine.  188 

Section  I.— Direct  Scriptural  Testimony  respecting  the  nature  of 

Salvation 191 

Sect.  II. — Figures  and  jMctaphors  illustrating  the  nature  of 
Salvation:  i.  We  are  refined  as  Silver;  ii.  We  are 
Cleansed  and  Washed  ;  in.  We  are  healed  as  of  a 
Disease ;  i v.  Christ  our  Teacher ;  v.  We  are  found 
as  the  lost  —  All  not  saved  in  this  life  —  Ancient 
Universalism  on  this  point 107 

CHAPTER  VI. — The  Doctrine  of  The  Resurrection. 

Section  I. — The  Resurrection  a  Moral  an    Spiritual,  as  well  as  a 

Bodily  change 207 

Sect.    II.—"  Every  man  in  his  own  order." 220 

Sect.    EII.—"  Then  cometh  the  end." 226 

Sect.    IV. — Death— Resurrection— Salvation— Their  relation  to 

each  other 233 


TABLE    OF  CONTEXTS.  vii 

CHAPTER  yil. — TuE  Scriptural  Doctrine  of  Judgment 

Definitions.  245 

Section  L— God  judging  the  -world  under  the  Old  Dispensation  246 
Sect.  U.— Judgment  of  the  world  by  Christ  under  the  New  Dis- 
pensation: I.  Time  and  place  of  Judgment — When 
the  Judgment  day  began;  ii.  The  Judgment 
spiritual,  by  the  Avord  of  truth,  and  not  literal  or 
in  person;  iii.  Tile  end  of  the  Judgment  Day, 
and  the  results  of  the  Judgment  —  OjDinions  of 

Ancient  Universalists f 201 

Sect.    HI— The  Judgment  after  Death,  Heb.  ix.  27 266 

I  CHAPTER  VIII.— The  Doctrine  of  Rewards  and  Punish- 
ments: 

Section  I.— The  Rewards  of  Righteousness 273 

Sect.    II.— The  Punishments  of  Sin— The  Law  and  its  Penalties: 

I.  The  design  of  the  Law  ;  ii.  The  design  of  the 
Penalty 286 

Sect.  III.~The  Remedial  Nature  of  Punishment  —  Testimony  of 
the  Scriptures—  The  teaching  of  Ancient  Univer- 
salism o 291 

Sect.  IV. — The  present  a  state  of  Retribution,  and  not  of  Pro- 
bation: I.  The  argument  of  facts  and  experience ; 

II.  Argument  from  the  Bible 302 

CHAPTER  IX. —  Repentance   and   Forgiveness    in   rela- 
tion TO  Punishment  and  Saltation.  313 

CHAPTER  X. — The  Scriptural  Doctrine  of  Damnation. 

Section  I. — Definition  and  usage  of  the  original  words 321 

Sect.     H. — "Resurrection    of  Damnation"  —  "Awaking   to 

shame  and  everlasting  contempt' ' 329 

CHAPTER  XI. —  Meaning    and     Usage    of  the    words 
translated    "  everlasting,"    "  eternal," 
"forever,"  &C. 

Section  I.— Classic  usage  and  Lexicography —Aristotle's  famous 

Definition  of  Aion  337 

Sect.     II.-~  Jewish-Greek  usage— Philo,  Josephus 346 

Sect.    HI.— Usage  of  Church  Fathers 348 

Sect.  IV,— Scriptural  usage  —  Everlasting,  as  applied  to  the 
Life  of  the  Ptighteous  and  the  Punishment  of  the 
Wicked.    Matt.  xxv.  46 351 


VIU  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. —  The   Scriptural   Doctrine   concerning 
Hell. 

Section  I. —  S/icoZ,  or  the  Hell  of  the  Old  Testament— "The 
■wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell." — Endless  pun- 
ishment not  taught  in  the  Law  of  Moses —  Con- 
fessions of  Theologians  and  Biblical  Scholars 362 

Sect.     H. — Hades,  of  the  New  Testament  — Its  meaning  and 

usage — "  The  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus."  371 

Sect.  IU.—  Gehenna  —  Origin  and  usage  of  the  word  —  Was  it 
used  as  a  symbol  of  future  punishment  in  the  time 
of  Christ?  — I.  The  Septuagint;  ii.  The  Apocry- 
pha; III.  Pliilo  and  Josephus:  iv.  The  Targums. 
"  Destruction  of  soul  and  body  in  Hell." 384 

Sect.  TV. —  Tarfarus— Meaning  and  usage  —  "  The  angels  cast 
down  to  hell" — The  Book  of  Enoch  quoted  by 
Peter  and  Jude— The  story  of  the  angels 399 

CHAPTER  XIII. —  The   origin   and  usage  of  Metaphors 

AND  Figures  of    Speech,    with  special  re- 
ference TO  their  use  in  the  Bible. 

Section  I. — Origin  and  use  of  Metaphors 406 

Sect.  II.— Scriptural  Metaphors  relating  to  the  Deity — All  lan- 
guage more  or  less  figui'ative 409 

Sect.  III. — Metaphors  derived  from  local  customs,  occupations 

and  opinions 415 

Sect,   IV. — Metaphors  and  Figures  derived  from  natural  objects 

and  phenomena 423 


INTRODUCTORY 


All  religious  are  founded  upon  a  belief  in  a  Deity, 
of  some  kind,  superior  in  nature,  or  in  power,  to  man. 
The  moral  force  and  value  of  any  religion,  in  its  influ- 
ence on  the  believer,  is  in  proportion  to  the  degree  of 
perfection  which  it  ascribes  to  the  Deity.  Aristotle 
has  somewhere  said,  in  substance,  that  excellency  in 
man  depends  on  his  acquaintance  with  something  hio-h- 
er  and  better  than  himself;  and  the  whole  course  of 
religious  history  illustrates  the  truth  of  the  observa- 
tion. 

Where  the  religion  is  really  believed,  and  exercises 
its  legitimate  influence  on  the  believer,  the  moral  and 
social  results  correspond  to  the  character  of  the  theol- 
ogy. "  If  the  divinities,  "  says  a  judicious  writer, 
"  are  represented  as  virtuous  and  noble,  a  correspond- 
ing excellence  and  greatness  of  soul,  will  be  produced 
among  the  people,  and  this  in  proportion  to  their 
reverence  for  the  objects  of  their  adoration.  But 
wherever  the  gods  are  imperfect  or  base,  imperfection  % 
or  baseness  will  belong  to  the  worshippers." 

No  other  result  can  be  looked  for  where  the  faith  of 
the  people  is  a  living  force  in  them,  and  acts  directly 
on  their  feelings,  character,  and  conduct.  Hence  it 
has  been  justly  affirmed,  that  "  religion  will  not  be- 


12  INTRODUCTORY. 

come  the  friend  of  virtue  and  happiness,  until  it  teach- 
es that  the  Deity  is  not  only  an  inconceivably  power- 
ful, but  also  an  inconceivably  wise  and  good  being  ; 
that  for  this  reason,  he  gives  way  neither  to  anger  nor 
revenge,  and  never  punishes  capriciously  ;  that  we 
owe  to  his  favor  alone,  all  the  good'that  we  possess  or 
enjoy  ;  that  even  our  sufferings  contribute  to  our 
hio-hest  good,  and  death  is  a  bitter,  but  salutary 
change ;  in  fine,  that  the  sacrifice  most  acceptable  to 
God,  consists  in  a  mind  that  seeks  for  truth,  and  a 
heart  that  ahvays  preserves  its  purity.  A  religion 
which  announces  these  exalted  truths,  offers  to  man, 
the  strongest  preservatives  from  vice,  and  the  strongest 
motives  to  virtue,  exalts  and  enobles  his  joys,  consoles 
and  guides  him  in  all  kinds  of  misfortune,  and  inspires 
him  with  forbearance,  patience,  and  active  benevolence 
towards  his  brethren."  l 

This  is  a  noble  utterance  ;  and  the  religion  thus  de- 
scribed, is  precisely  the  want  of  the  world  at  the  pre- 
sent time.  Everywhere  the  soul  of  man  is  reaching 
out  toward  a  Deity,  in  whom  is  embodied  this  perfec- 
tion of  wisdom  and  goodness,  of  justice  and  mercy. 
In  the  language  of  Channing,  it  is  the  deepest  want 
of  human  nature,  "  some  being  to  whom  we  may  give 
our  hearts,  whom  we  may  love  more  than  ourselves, 
for  whom  we  may  live,  and  be  ready  to  die  ;  and 
whose  character  corresponds  to  that  idea  of  perfection, 
which,  however  dim  and  undefined,  is  an  essential 
element  of  every  human  soul.  We  cannot  be  happy 
beyond  our  love To  secure  a  growing 

^Sec  an  excellent  article,  conceived  in  a  liberal  spirit,  on  the  "  Char- 
acter and  Theology  of  the  early  Romans,"  in  the  Biblical  Repository 
for  April,  1843. 


INTRODUCTORY.  13 

happiness  and  a  spotless  virtue,  we  need  for  tlie  heart 
a  being  worthy  of  the  whole  treasure  of  its  love,  to 
whom  we  may  consecrate  our  whole  existence  ;  in  ap- 
proaching whonij  we  enter  an  atmosphere  of  purity 
and  briglitness,in  sympathizing  with  whom,  Ave  cherish 
only  noble  sentiments,  in  devoting  ourselves  to  whom, 
we  espouse  great  and  enduring  interests  ;  in  whose 
character  we  find  the  spring  of  an  ever-enlarging 
philanthrophy,  and  by  attachment  to  whom  all  our 
other  attachments  are  hallowed,  protected,  and  sup- 
plied with  tender  and  sublime  consolations  under 
bereavement  and  blighted  hope.  Such  a  being  is 
God."^ 

This  is  essentially  the  theology  ofUniversalism,  the 
character  and  action  which,  following  the  sacred 
Scriptures,  it  ascribes  to  God  as  the  Supreme  Govern- 
or of  the  universe,  and  the  Creator  and  Father  of 
men.  In  him  are  united  all  possible  perfections  ;  and 
by  the  necessity  of  his  nature,  he  is  infinite  in  all 
his  attributes,  and  unchangeable — the  same  yester- 
day, to-day,  and  forever.  He  is  the  source  of  all  our 
blessings,  the  inexhaustible  fountain  of  good  to  man 
in  this  world,  and  in  all  worlds,  in  time,  and  in 
eternity. 

This  doctrine  of  the  complete  harmony  and  perfec- 
tion of  all  the  divine  attributes,  of  the  infinite  benevo- 
lence of  God  in  the  creation  and  government  of  the 
world,  inspires  the  true  believer  with  reverent  trust, 
with  devout  gratitude,  and  with  an  earnest  desire  to 
conform  to  all  the  requirements  of  his  righteous  laws. 
It  imparts  courage  in  the  presence  of  danger,  resist- 
ance in  the  time  of  temptation,  patience  in  tribula- 
^Works,  vol.  i.  p.  204. 


14  INTRODUCTORY. 

tion,  resignation  in  suffering,  and  peace  in  the  hour 
of  death.  The  experience  of  these  beneficent  in- 
fluences, and  the  hapj^y  consciousness  of  this  s]3iritual 
renewal,  justify  the  Universalist  Christian  in  claim- 
ing for  his  faith,  that  it  has  all  the  characteristics 
of  a  divinely  authenticated  religion  ;  that  it  is,  in  a 
word,  identical  with  the  Gospel  as  taught  by  the 
Saviour  and  his  chosen  disciples. 

In  order  to  the  better  understanding  of  this  doctrine, 
and  in  evidence  of  the  justness  of  this  claim,  we  shall 
proceed  to  a  statement  of  particulars,  setting  forth 
our  views  on  the  great  questions  of  Christian  theol- 
ogy ;  and  the  system,  or  method,  of  Scriptural  inter- 
pretation, by  which  these  views  are  sustained  and 
enforced.  And  as  the  starting  point,  the  foundation 
of  all  argument,  we  shall  begin  with  the  Creator  and 
his  attributes,  or  the  divine  character  and  action  as 
they  relate  to  man  and  his  destiny  ;  and  though  we 
shall  chiefly  direct  our  labors  to  a  dogmatic  or  doc- 
trinal statement  of  the  subjects  in  hand,  yet  the  care- 
ful reader  will  readily  discover  how  the  doctrine 
naturally  and  necessarily  leads  on  to  the  precept  ; 
and  in  what  manner  faith  is  developed  into  moral 
character,  and  becomes  the  spiritual  force  which  reg- 
ulates and  blesses  the  life  of  the  believer. 


CHAPTER  I. 

GOD HIS   ATTRIBUTES,    AND    THEIIl     RELATION    TO    HUMAN 

DESTINY. 

The  very  idea  of  existence  implies  certain  powers 
and  qualities.  Spiritual  existence  involves  spiritual 
and  moral  qualities  or  attributes.  God  is  a  Spirit ; 
and  his  moral  attributes,  his  spiritual  perfections, 
constitute  his  character,  and  determine  his  action. 

If  he  is  infinitely  good,  if  the  essence  of  his  being 
is  Love,  all  his  actions  vnll  partake  of  this  quality.  If 
he  is  supreme  in  power,  he  will  act  without  restraint 
or  hindrance.  If  he  is  all-wise,  or  omniscient,  he 
cannot  err  in  judgment,  or  make  any  mistake  in  his 
plans,  or  fail  in  his  purposes  through  want  of  know- 
ledge or  foresight,  as  to  the  results  of  anything  he 
might  do.  If  he  is  infinitely  just,  all  his  dealings 
with  his  creatures  will  be  marked  by  perfect  equity ; 
and  he  will  require  nothing  but  what  is  right  and 
possible,  and  will  lay  no  evil  or  penalty  on  man  but 
what  is  consistent  with  eternal  rectitude.  If  he  is 
above  all  perturbations,  all  weakness  and  passion, 
above  the  disturbing  influences  of  evil  and  sin ;  then 
he  will  never  act  from  anger  or  revenge,  never  will 
do  anything  to,  or  with,  his  creatures,  save  from  the 
dictates  of  infinite  and  unchano-eable  benevolence. 

These  general  statements  necessarily  involve  the 
conclusion  of  triumphant  universal  good,  as  the  result 


16  THEOLOGY  OF  UNIVEKSALISM. 

of  the  creation  and  government  of  tlic  world  by  God. 
The  very  act  of  creation  is  virtually  a  pledge  of  this  ; 
and  all  his  attributes  unite  in  the  accomplishment  of 
this  great  purpose  of  Infinite  Beneficence. 

A  more  particular  review  of  the  relations  of  God  as 
Creator,  and  as  a  Father,  and  of  the  divine  perfec- 
tions, with  specific  reference  to  the  act  of  giving  ex- 
istence to  man,  will  illustrate  and  establish  this  posi- 
tion. 

SECTION      I. 

GOD  THE  CREATOR  —  EXISTENCE  OF  EVIL. 

It  would  be  to  little  purpose  to  inquire  whether 
God  could  not  have  created  this  world  without  evil  or 
imperfection  of  any  sort ;  whether  he  could  not  have 
made  man  in  such  a  way,  physically  and  m^orally,  as 
to  have  secured  him  against  the  possibility  of  sin. 
The  fact  that  he  has  not  done  this  meets  us  on  the 
threshold  of  our  inquiry  ;  and  it  is  with  this  fact  that 
we  have  to  deal,  aided  by  the  light  of  reason  and  the 
authoritative  revelations  of  the  Bible. 

For  aught  we  know,  God  may  have  created  some- 
where in  infinite  space  a  world  without  evil,  peopled 
by  a  race  of  beings  morally  perfect.  But  even  if  this 
were  so,  it  would  remain  to  be  proved  that  this  world, 
and  man  as  we  find  him  here,  imperfect  and  subject 
to  evil,  do  not  constitute  a  link  in  the  endless  chain  of 
being,  without  which  it  would  be  incomplete,  with- 
out which  even  heaven  itself  would  lose  a  measure  of 
its  harmony  and  fulness.  The  philosoj^hical  poet  has 
spoken  well  on  this  interesting  point : 

'*  Of  systems  possible,  if  'tis  confcst 
Tliat  V)'isdom  Infinite  must  form  the  best. 


€:OI>--nrS    ATTRIBUTES,    ETC.  17 

Where  all  must  full  or  not  coherent  be, 
A.nd  all  that  rise,  must  rise  in  due  degree, 
Then  in  the  scale  of  reasoning  life,  'tis  plain. 
There  must  be  somewhere  such  a  rank  as  man." 

And  then,  in  answer  to  the  question  so  often  started, 
*'  Why  could  not  man  have  been  created  perfect,  with- 
out liability  to  sin  ?  why  was  he  not  placed  higher  in 
the  scale  of  being  —  why  not  made  an  angel  ?  "  lie 
proceeds  as  follow^s : 

**  Presumptuous  man,  wouldst  thou  the  reason  find 
Why  made  so  weak,  so  little,  and  so  blind? 
First,  if  thou  canst,  the  harder  reason  guess, 
Why  made  no  weaker,  blinder  and  no  less  — 
Ask  of  thy  mother  earth  whj^  oaks  are  made 
Taller  and  stronger  than  the  weeds  they  shade* 

On  superior  powers 
"Were  we  to  press,  inferior  might  on  ours; 
Or  in  the  full  creation  leave  a  void, 
Where  one  step  broken,  the  great  scale's  destroyed^ 
From  natui-e's  chain  whatever  link  you  strike. 
Tenth,  or  ten-thousandth, breaks  the  chain  alike." 

Admitting,  therefore^  what,  perhaps,  no  one  is  pre- 
pared to  deny,  that  God  can  create  a  relatively  per- 
fect world,  or  a  world  not  liable  to  evil,  and  people  it 
with  a  race  of  perfect  beings  not  liable  to  sin  :  this 
world  may,  nevertheless,  hold  as  important  and  ne- 
cessary a  place  in  creation  as  that.  Nay,  it  may  be 
that  without  just  such  a  world  as  this,  inhabited  by  | 
just  such  beings  as  men,  the  whole  machinery  of  the 
universe,  as  at  present  arranged,  would  be  imperfect 
in  its  structure  and  working.  Manifestly  this  earth, 
v/ith  its  myriad  immortal  intelligences,  is  not  formed 
without  a  purpose.  Without  these,  the  space  which 
they  fill  in  the  circle  of  organic  and  spiritual  existence 
Vv^ould  be  blank ;  and  there  would  be  one  link  want- 
ing in  the  golden  chain  of  being  which  stretches,  on 


18  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

either  side  of  us,  to  the  infinite  above,  and  the  infinite 
below. 

The  fact  that  man  was  made  relatively  imperfect, 
that  is,  imperfect  in  the  sense  of  liability  to  sin,  is 
proved  bj  the  fact  that  he  is  a  sinner.  He  was  not 
created  a  sinner,  for  sin  is  the  result  of  voluntary  ac- 
tion. He  was  aot  created  depraved,  but  pure  and  in- 
nocent. He  yielded  to  temptation,  and  so  fell  away 
from  his  primal  innocence  into  transgression.  The 
author  of  JEcclesiastes  states  the  case  very  correctly 
and  tersely,  when  he  says,  "  Lo,  this  only  have  I 
found,  that  God  hath  made  man  upright ;  but  they 
have  sought  out  many  inventions."  viii.  29. 

That  this  constitution  of  m_an  and  its  consequences 
entered  into  the  original  plan  of  the  Creator,  and  is 
not  an  after  accident,  or  an  unlooked  for  result,  is  dis- 
tinctly stated  by  the  apostle  Paul  in  his  epistle  to  the 
Romans:  *' The  creature  was  made  subject  to  van- 
ity, not  willingly,  but  by  reason  of  him  who  hath  sub- 
jected the  same  in  hope  ;  because  the  creature  itself 
also  shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage  of  corrup- 
tion into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God." 
viii.  20,  21.     See  the  whole  chapter. 

Now  here  we  are  certified  in  the  most  unqualified 
terms,  that  the  creature  man,  or  the  human  race,  was 
made  subject  to  vanity  or  imperfection,  for  wise  and 
beneficent  reasons ;  and  with  express  reference  to  the 
fact  that,  when  the  purposes  of  this  subjection  to  evil 
are  fully  accomplished,  then  man  is  to  be  delivered 
from  the  bondage  of  corruption  and  death  into  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  Whatever 
may  be  thought  of  this  position  of  Paul,  there  can  be 
no  difference  of  opinion  as  to  what  he  meant,  or  what 


GOD  —  HIS    ATTRIBUTES,   ETC,  19 

he  intended  to  say.  It  is  clear  enough  tliat  lie  be- 
lieved and  taught  that  we  were  subjected  to  this  im- 
perfect condition  by  the  Creator  himself.  It  was  de- 
signed in  the  beginning  for  a  special  purpose  ;  and 
has  not,  since  then,  come  to  pass  contrary  to  his  ex- 
pectations. Bishop  Bloomfield  renders  the  passage 
in  this  form  :  "  For  the  world  (i.  e,  God's  creatures) 
was  made  subject  to  imperfection,  corruption  and 
misery  (not  by  any  will  of  its  own,  but  by  Him  who 
thus  subjected  it),  yet  with  a  hope  (on  their  part)  that 
this  very  creation  (i.  e.  these  his  creatures)  will  be 
delivered  from  the  bondage  of  corruption,  &  3.  Cor- 
ruption may  perhaps  be  meant  to  be  taken  both  in  a 
moral  and  physical  sense,  to  denote  both  liability  to 
sin,  and  to  disease  and  death."  Of  course,  then, 
"  vanity"  must  be  taken  to  mean  the  same  things,  for 
the  words  are  plainly  synonymous,  and  refer  to  the 
same  condition  ;  the  creature  being  delivered  from 
the  same  thing  to  which  it  was  subjected ;  in  the  one 
case  called  "  vanity,"  and  in  the  other  "  corrup- 
tion."' 

It  is  plain,  then,  that  God,  as  the  Creator  of  man- 
kind, when  he  determined  upon  the  nature  of  their 
physical  and  moral  condition  on  earth,   determined 

^Maratdrrjf,  vanity,  occurs  in  only  two  other  passages  of  the  New 
Testament.  Eph.  iv.  17,  "  in  the  vanity  of  their  mind;"  where  tho 
moral  element  is  manifestly  involved,  as  vei-ses  19  and  22  plainly  show 
—*•  lasciviousness  and  all  uncleanness  with  greediness:;"  and  2  Peter 
ii.  18,  Avhere  the  same  statement  applies,  as  the  next  words  show — "  lusts 
of  the  flesh  and  wantonness."  <l>0u/ja,  corruption,  is  found  not  only  in 
I  Cor,  XV,,  but  also  in  such  passages  as  these  :  "  having  escaped  the 
corruption  that  is  in  the  world,"  "servants  of  corruption,"  2  Peter 
i.  &  ii.,  illustrating  its  use  in  a  moral  as  well  as  in  a  physical  sense, 
Whitby  and  others  argue  elaborately'  for  the  corruption  of  death  as  the 
offlly  meaning  of**  vanity." 


20  THEOLOGY    OP    UNIVERSALIS^. 

that  it  should  be  Puch  as  involved  the  liability  to 
physical  and  moral  evil ;  and,  consequently,  as  the 
apostle  says,  he  "  made  man  subject  to  vanity,"  or 
imperfection.  He  "  subjected  "  him  to  this  condition, 
with  a  clear  foresight  and  intention  respecting  all  the 
trials  and  sorrows,^  the  spiritual  conflicts  and  tempta- 
tions, the  failures  and  conquests,  as  well  as  the  decay 
and  destruction  by  death  of  the  mortal  body,  which 
this  constitution  of  things  would  nati^t^ily  bring  in 
its  train. 

But,   of  course,   all  this  was  with  a   view  to  the 
greater  good  tha.t  is  to  come  of  it,     Thiv  condition 
was  not  ordained  for  its   own  sake,  as  a  perm*ine»t 
thing ;  but  as  a  means   to  a  beneficent  and  glorioui^ 
end,   as  a  school   wherein  we  are    to  be  taav'ht  ami 
trained  for  a  higher  sphere  of  life  and  action,  both  iik 
the  present   and  in  the  future.     Dr.   Jonathan   Ed- 
wards, who  was  regarded  as  the  highest  authority  in 
theological  metaphysics,  says,  with  great  good  sense, 
in  his  famous  work  on  the  Will  : — "  I  believe  there  is 
no  person  of  good  understanding,  who  will  venturr  to 
say  he  is   certain  that  it  is  impossible  it  should  be 
best,  taking  in  the  whole  compass  and  extent  of  ex- 
istence, and   all  consequences  in  the  endless  series  o^ 
events,  that  there  should  be  such  a  thing  as  moraft 
evil  in  the  world.     And  if  so,  it  will  certainly  follow,, 
that  an  infinitely   wise   Being,  who  always  choose* 
what  is  best,  must  choose  that  there  be  such  a  thing.'* 
Again,  he  says  : — "  It  is   not  of  a  bad  tendency  fo? 
the  Supreme   Being   thus  to   order  and  permit  thai 
moral  evil  to  be  which  it  is  best  should  come  to  pass  ; 
for   that    it   is  of  good   tendency  is   the    very   thing  ^ 
supposed   in  the  point  in  question,     ....     and 
good  16  the  actual  issue  in  the  final  result  of  things.'^ 


GOD — HIS    ATIRIBUTES,    ETC.  21 

TurnbiiU,  in  his  "  Principles  of  Moral  Philosophy,"  " 
which  Euwards  quotes  approvingly,  states  that 
"  God  intends  and  pursues  the  univer sal  good  of  his 
creation  ;  and  the  evil  which  happens  is  not  permit- 
ted for  its  own  sake,  but  because  it  is  requisite  to  the 
greater  good  pursued."  ' 

And  if  we  give  a  little  attention  to  the  details  of 
the  question,  it  will  not  be  very  difficult  to  discover 
how  the  conflict  with  the  imperfections  and  evils  of 

A  iVnd  with  these  agree  the  following  Unitarian  testimonies  : — "  The 
origin  oi  oxLx  liahiliiy  to  sin,  we  can  explain  only  by  referring  it  to 
the  will  of  our  Maker."  Again:—"  We  hold  that  God  is  master  of 
evil,  not  merely  iihysical  but  moral — master  of  his  creation,  and  able 
to  overrule  all  evil  for  moral  good,  so  that  at  last,  when  his  work  is 
consummated,  the  good  shall  be  triumphant  and  complete.'" 

I  think  it  would  bo  difficult  to  show  that  the  above  premises  of  Ed- 
wards and  TurnbuU  do  not  involve  the  conclusion  which  it  is  the  pur- 
pose of  this  volume  to  establish.  If  **  good  is  the  actual  issue  in  the 
final  result  of  things,"  of  moral  evil  or  sin,  in  one  case,  why  not  in  all 
cases  ?  The  principle  is  the  same;  and  it  surely  is  as  easy  for  God  to 
realize  a  great  result  as  a  little  one.  And  if,  in  the  permission  of  evil, 
"  Gad  intends  and  pursues  the  universal  good  of  his  creation,"  there 
seems  an  end  of  the  argument ;  for  if  he  intends  and  pursues  it,  he  will 
certainly  accomplish  it,  and  the  good  of  the  whole  can  only  be  accom- 
plished in  the  good  of  each  particular  part.  Bishop  Wareurton,  who 
coultl  not  believe  in  endless  punishment,  says,  very  truly: — "  Though 
the  system  of  the  best  supposes  that  the  evils  themselves  will  be  fully 
compensated  by  the  good  they  produce  to  the  whole,  yet  this  is  so  far 
from  supiwsing  that  particulars  shall  suffer  for  a  general  good,  that  it 
u  essential  to  this  system,  to  conclude  that  at  the  completion  of  things,  ^^y^ 
when  the  whole  is  arrived  to  the  state  of  utmost  perfection,  particular 
and  uuiversal  good  shall  coincide."  And  commenting  on  Rev.  xx. 
1-1,  "  death  and  hell  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire,"  he  says: — *'  The  sense 
of  the  whole  seems  to  be  this,  that  at  the  consummation  of  things  (the 
eubject  here  treated  of),  aZ/  physical  and  moral  evil  shall  be  abol- 
ished." 

For  the  quotations,  see  Edwards  on  the  Will,  Part  iv. ,  Sec,  ix. ,  or 
Works,  vol.  ii.,  p.  254,  Edit.  1829.  Turxbull's  Philosophy,  vol.  ii., 
pp.  42,  35,  37.  Christian  Examiner,  numbers  for  Nov.,  1853,  and 
March,  1861.    Warbukton's  Works,  vols,  xi.,  26--30;  v.  407, 


t2  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM, 

our  lot  serves  to  dcvelope  the  faculties  of  body  and 
mind,  to  strengthen  and  build  up  the  character  ;  how, 
in  fact,  all  evil  finally  takes  on  some  shape  of  good, 
and  thus  vindicates  the  divine  wisdom  in  subjecting 
man  to  '^  vanity."  To  begin  with  the  lowest  form  of 
the  subject : — 

I.  I^/iy steal  Evils. — We  may  safely  say  that  our 
usefulness  and  happiness  are  largely  dependant  on 
the  development  of  aJl  our  powers  and  gifts,  physi- 
cal, mental,  and  spiritual.  For  accomplishing  this, 
there  must,  of  course,  be  occasion  for  that  action 
of  which  this  development  is  the  legitimate  result. 
But  J  if  there  were  no  evil  connected  with  our  present 
condition  and  estate,  how  could  this  be  ?  Where  the 
occasion  for  activity  or  exertion,  if  man  were  free 
from  evil,  and  already  as  perfect  as  he  is  capable  of 
being  ?  And  if  you  leave  him  one  step  this  side  of 
perfection,  you  involve  him  in  the  necessary  evil  of 
imperfection.  But  if  perfect  in  all  respects,  what 
moving  cause  would  there  be  for  action  ?  He  has  no 
wants  to  gratify  ;  no  enjoyment  to  obtain  ;  no  incon- 
venience to  be  rid  of;,  no  work  to  perform  ;  no  end 
to  seek  or  gain^  no  occasion,  whatever,  for  the 
slightest  exertion  of  body  or  mind.  The  propelling 
power  w^ould  be  gone  to  a  great  degree,,  and  life 
would  become  as  a  still  and  stagnant  pool,  covered 
over  with  its  green  and  slimy  coating,  unbroken  by 
the  winds  of  heaven,  or  the  dip  of  a  passing  wing. 

Take  one  example  only.  If  there  were  no  hunger  ; 
if  man  had  been  so  constituted  as  never  to  want  food, 
then  there  vfould  have  been  no  room  for  the  activitj", 
both  of  mind  and  body,  which  is  now  devoted  to  pro- 
curing this.     The  noble  science  of  agriculture^  whicli 


^OD  — HIS    ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  2S 

is  SO  rapidly  unfolding  the  powers  of  the  earth  and 
the  elements,  and  bringing  us  so  constantly  into  the 
presence  of  infinite  wisdom  and  benevolence,  would 
have  no  beino;.  The  constant  hum  of  business  and 
enterprise  heard  all  over  the  earth,  and  the  wonderful 
and  complicated  movements  connected  with  the  sup- 
ply of  this  one  universal  want,  would  cease  at  once. 
The  far-stretching  fields  of  grain,  rich  and  ripe,  wav- 
ing in  the  wind,  and  adding  such  beauty  to  the  land- 
scape, and  giving  such  joy  to  the  heart  of  the  behold- 
er —  the  mill,  with  the  noise  of  its  grinding,  and  the 
wild  merriment  of  its  whirling  wheels  and  rushing 
waters  —  the  pleasant  garden-spot,  with  its  various 
vegetable  productions,  and  the  satisfaction  of  cultivat- 
ing and  watching  over  it  —  the  groves  of  delicious 
fruit,  planted  by  the  hand  of  man  in  every  clime  — - 
the  proud  ship,  that  bears  its  freight  of  blessings  from 
shore  to  shore  —  the  canal,  the  rail-road,  the  steam- 
ship, the  magnetic  telegraph,  —  all  these  would  be 
struck  out  of  existence  ;  and  the  thousands  who  are 
engaged  in  these  manifold  employments,  and  find  a  life 
and  joy  in  the  activity  they  afford,  would  fall  back 
into  a  dead  silence  and  listlessness,  and  all  would  be- 
come a  complete  and  thorough  blank  in  the  place  of 
that  quick  life  and  cheerful  industry,  which  are  born 
of  this  want  or  evil,  and  those  kindred  to  it, 

IL  Intel,  ectual  Evils^  or  the  Euils  of  Ignorance. — 
That  ignorance  of  the  government  and  works  of  God, 
ignorance  of  the  truths  of  science,  of  the  laws  of  or- 
ganized life,  and  of  the  physical  universe,  is  the  source 
of  much  evil,  of  accident  and  suffering,  no  one  can,  or 
is  disposed  to,  deny.     But  suppose  there  were  no  ig- 


24:  THEOLOGY    OF    UXI\  ERSALIS3I. 

norance  in  regard  to  these  things  ;  suppose  God  had, 
when  he  created  man,  thoroughly  instraeted  him  in 
all  the  sciences  ;  and  imparted  to  him,  by  direct  mira- 
cle or  revelation,  a  complete  knowledge  of  all  the  laws 
of  the  i^hysicai  world.  It  is  true,  you  might  in  this 
way,  get  quit  of  all  the  suffering,  of  all  the  evil  con- 
sequent upon  ignorance  ;  but  would  you  not  also  an- 
nihilate all  the  mental  action  and  effort  consequent 
upon  it? 

If  the  Creator  had  given  to  man  in  the  beginning, 
by  inspiration  or  revelation,  a  knowledge  of  all  the 
sublime  and  beautiful  truths  of  astronomy,  chemistry, 
geology,  physiology,  political  science,  natural  philoso- 
phy, and  all  other  departments  of  human  knowledge — 
then  all  the  labor  of  mind,  the  splendid  intellectual 
triumphs  by  which  these  truths  have  been  unfolded, 
and  which  have  thrilled  all  souls  that  have  witnessed 
their  success,  with  admiration  and  joy  —  all  this  ac- 
tivity and  consequent  happiness  had  never  been.  And 
we  had  not  known,  as  now,  how  glorious  a  creature 
the  human  mind  is  ;  how  manifold  its  powers  and  re- 
sources ;  how  heroically  it  will  struggle  against  diffi- 
culties, till  it  rise  up  into  the  heavens,  victorious  over 
all,  and  reverently,  yet  without  trembling,  stand  at 
last  in  the  presence  of  the  Eternal  One  ! 

But  not  only  this.  With  the  loss  of  these  efforts 
and  triumphs,  must  be  numbered  also  the  countless 
books  written  on  these  subjects ;  the  glorious  print- 
ing-press, giving  wings  to  knowledge  and  truth  ;  the 
beautiful  and  exquisite  instruments  with  which  science 
has  wrought  out  her  discoveries  ;  and  all  the  study 
and  industry  consequent  upon  ihcm  —  all  these  must 
perish  with  the  evils  of  ignorance  ;  or  rather,  but  for 


'GrOJy  —  HIS    AITRIBUTES,  ETC.  2& 

^lic  evils  of  ignorance  they  could  have  had  no  exist- 
ence. All  the  truths  of  science  and  art  known  to  us, 
there  would  be  no  use  for  them  —  no  call  for  mental 
•effort  to  invent,  or  mechanical  labor  to  execute. 

If,  then,  there  is  any  happiness  in  the  discovery  of 
truth,  and  the  increase  of  knowledge,  if  any  measure 
of  our  blessedness  lies  in  the  development  and  perfec- 
tion of  the  intellect,  all  which  necessarily  involve  the 
existence  of  previous  ignorance  and  imperfection  — ■ 
then,  just  to  this  extent,  we  are  furnished  with  a  so- 
lution of  the  great  problem  of  evil ;  or,  at  least,  we 
see  some  of  the  important  uses  which  evil  may  sub- 
serve.    And  now  let  us  turn  to— - 

III.  Iforal  Evil.  If  there  had  been  no  error  or  sin 
in  the  world,  we  should  have  known  nothing  of  Jesus 
the  Christ,  that  loftiest  exhibition  of  perfected  human- 
ity, that  single  bright  star  in  the  mingled  firmament 
of  earth  and  heaven,  whose  light  was  never  dimmed. 
We  should  have  known  nothino-  of  his  deeds  of  love 
and  merey  in  return  for  hate  and  cruelty  ;  nothing  of 
that  life  of  his,  always  so  serene  and  beautiful  amid 
the  storms  of  temptation  and  bigotry  and  persecution, 
and  closed  at  last  with  that  sublime  prayer  of  forgive- 
ness and  blessing,  the  very  record  of  which  even  now 
thrills  the  souls  of  the  millions  with  unutterable  emo- 
tions of  reverence  and  joy.  And  so  one  of  the  most 
instructive  pages  in  the  history  of  humanity  would 
have  been  left  totally  blank,  with  not  a  single  bright 
word  of  heaven's  language  to  catch  the  eye,  or  quick- 
en the  thought. 

And  of  God,  also  —  if  there  were  no  sin,  we  should 
lose  sight  of  half  the  glory  of  his  character,  and  of  the 


26 


THEaLOGY    OF   UNI  VERS  ALISJf. 


beautiful  and  tender  relations  which  he  sustains  to  us. ' 
We  should  know  him  as  a  God  of  almighty  power,  of 
infinite  wisdom,  of  perfect  holiness  ;  but  of  his  saving 
grace,  of  his  mercy,  of  his  patient  and  watchful  care 
for  his  wayward  children,  of  his  long-suffering  and 
pardoning  love,  of  his  blessed  promises  of  redemption 
—  if  there  were  no  moral  evil,  no  error  nor  sin,  what 
should  we  know  of  these  glorious  exhibitijns  of  the 
divine  character  ?  How  could  they  have  been  at  all  ? 
How  could  we  have  loved  and  adored,  in  spirit  and 
understanding,  the  affectionate  Father  and  the  perfect 
God,  as  we  love  and  adore  him  now  ?  ^ 

But  there  is  another  phase  to  this  question  of 
moral  evil,  which  deserves  a  thought.  It  will  be 
allowed  very  readily,  that  the  virtues  of  charity,  for- 
giveness, generosity,  self-sacrifice,  faiths  fidelity,  are 
of  great  worth,  and  give  the  highest  grace  and  beau- 
ty to  the  character.  All  will  agree  that  without 
these  noble  virtues,  it  would  become  tame  and  spirit- 
less, with  scarcely  a  single  trait  to  waken  our  admir- 
ation, or  call  forth  our  reverence  and  love.  The 
lively  and  animated  picture  of  the  soul's  struggles 
and  triumphs,  would  lose  its  richest  coloring  and  fin- 
ish ;  and  life  itself  would  be  without  point,  without 
any  useful  or  elevating  aim. 

But  if  man  had  been  created  perfect,  and  never 
had  fallen  into  any  kind  of  sin,  how  could  these 
virtues  have  birth  or  beino;  ?  If  there  were  nothing 
to  try  our  patience  or  our  love,  how  could  the  worth 

*  Jonathan  Edwards  says,  "  God  does  not  will  sin  as  sin,  or  for  the 
sake  of  any  thing  evil;  though  it  be  his  pleasure  so  to  order  things, 
that,  he  permitting,  sin  will  come  to  pass,  foi'  the  sake  of  the  great 
good  that  by  hU  disposal  shall  be  the  consequence.''''  Works,  vol.  ii.» 
254.    Editiool830. 


GOD  —  HIS    ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  27 

and  trutli  of  them  be  proved  ?  If  none  offended 
against  us,  how  coukl  we  forgive  ?  If  none  did  us 
evil,  how  could  we  obey  the  greatest  of  the  divine 
requisitions,  "  Return  good  for  evil  ? "  If  there 
were  no  want  nor  sorrow,  if  there  were  no  injustice  nor 
wrong,  where  would  be  the  noble  examples  of  chari- 
ty and  mercy,  of  generosity  and  self-forgetfulness, 
which  have  adorned  the  history  of  the  world,  and 
moved  multitudes  of  souls  with  admiring  joy,  and 
sent  them  forth  with  inspiration  for  the  same  blessed 
work  ?  If  there  were  no  sorrow  nor  pain,  where  had 
been  those  heavenly  lessons  of  patient  love,  of  affec- 
tionate devotion,  under  sternest  trials  ?  where  had 
been  that  sweet  submission  to  God,  that  serene 
peace,  that  divine  strength,  which  the  frailest  child 
of  sufferino;  has  at  times  manifested  ?  leaving;  a  wit- 
ness,  before  which  the  strongest  and  most  unwilling 
have  bowed  ;  and,  through  the  power  of  which,  the 
humblest  and  weakest  have  felt  themselves  lifted  up 
to  new  courage  and  faith. 

If,  then,  these  virtues  are  of  any  worth  ;  if  charity, 
forgiveness,  resignation,  faith,  self-sacrifice,  have  any 
value  in  themselves,  or  as  examples  to  the  world ;  if 
they  adorn  the  human  character,  and  are  necessary 
to  the  perfect  development  of  the  human  heart,  then 
here  again  is  a  reason  why  the  Creator  did  not  make 
man  perfect  in  the  begining,  but  determined  rather  to 
leave  him  to  perfect  himself  through  toil  and  strug- 
gle, through  defeat  and  victory,  through  obedience, 
and  self-conquest,  and  faith,  and  love,  aided  and 
blessed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  —  another  reason  why  he 
subjected  him  to  temporal  evil,  that  he  might, 
through  this,  work  out  for  himself  an  abiding,  ever- 


f8  TEIEOLOGY    OF  U^iyEKSALTSM, 

Tasting  good.  And  Paul  alludes  to  this  view  of  tlie 
subject,  in  immediate  connection  with  the  passage 
already  qnote<l,  saying,  with  exultant  emphasis  : — • 
"  I  reckon  that  the  sufferings  of  this  present  time,, 
are  not  vyorthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which 
shall  be  revealed  ia  us." —  Eom„  viii.  18.  And  he 
repeats  the  thought  in  his  second  letter  to  the  Co- 
rinthians, in  yet  more  definite  and  nervous  phrase  :— 
*'  For  which  caiJEse  we  faint  not ;  but  though  our  out- 
ward man  perish,^  the  inward  man  is  renewed  day  by 
day  ;  for  our  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  mo- 
ment, worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory,"  iv,  16,  17. 

And  doubtless  one  purpose  of  our  present  condition; 
of  mingled  evil  and  good,  is  to  lead  us  up  to  the 
thouo^ht  of  and  desire  for  this  "eternal  weio-ht  of 
glory,  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us."  If  there  were 
no  evil  here,  no  vanity  or  imperfection,  no  drawback 
of  any  sort  connected  with  the  things  of  this  life,  we 
should  cling  to  them  always,  and  never  look  highery 
nor  desire  anything  better.  Earth  would  become  our 
heaven,  the  world  our  god,  and  our  life  the  life  mere- 
ly of  the  animal. 

But  now  the  temptations,  and  sins,  and  failures, 
and  sorrows,  the  unsatisfying  character  of  our  pur- 
suits and  pleasures,  the  perishable  nature  of  earthly 
possessions  —  in  a  word,  "  the  vanity  and  vexation  of 
spirit"  which  wait  on  all  worldly  things  reveal  to  u^ 
that  this  is  no-t  oar  home,  that  these  are  not  all  God 
has  in  store  for  us.  They  lend  us  when  sick  at  heart 
and  dissatisfied,  even  though  our  highest  ambitions 
are  gratified  ;  when  weary  with  our  struggles  against 
cvil^  and  disheartened  with  the  ills  of  life— thes© 


GOD  —  HIS    ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  29 

very  ills  and  disappointments  coll  up  within  us  irre- 
pressible longings  and  yearnings  for,  and  point  us  for- 
ward to,  something  nobler  and  better  than  anything 
this  world  can  give :  something  that  will  not  betray 
our  trust,  nor  defeat  our  hopes  ;  something  imperish- 
able and  eternal.^ 

'*  For,  from  the  birth 
Of  mortal  man,  the  sovereign  Maker  said. 
That  not  in  humble,  nor  in  brief  delight ; 
Not  in  the  fading  glories  of  renown, 
Power's  purple  robes;,  nor  pleasure's  flowery  lap. 
The  soul  should  find  enjoyment,  but  from  these 
Turning  disdainful  to  an  eternal  good. 
Through  all  the  ascent  of  things  enlai'ge  her  view. 
Till  every  bound  at  length  should  disappear, 
And  infinite  perfection  close  the  scene  /  "^ 

But  then  of  course  this  disciplinary  result  of  evil 
depends  entirely  upon  the  fact  that  all  shall  end  well, 
"  and  infinite  perfection  close  the  scene."  It  all  turns 
on  the  truth  that  evil  is  temporal,  as  Paul  says,  and 
that  these  light  afflictions  are  comparatively  but  for  a 
moment.  Deliberately  to  plan,  purpose,  ordain  and 
perpetuate  this  "  vanity,"  or  evil  of  any  kind,  as  an 
end,  for  its  own  sake,  is  too  monstrous  to  admit  of 
defence.  The  only  possible  method  of  vindicating  the 
existing  order  of  things,  is  on  the  Bible  ground,  viz : 
that  it  is  a  means  and  not  an  end  ;  that  it  is  a  course 
of  training,  education  and  growth,  preparatory  to 
something  higher  ;  that  the  battle  is  to  terminate  in 
victory,  and  present  imperfection,  sin  and  suffering, 

1 "  And  their  longing  for  a  future  perfection  is  shared  by  all  created 
beings,  whose  discontent  at  present  imperfection  poiyiis  to  another 
state  freed  from  ein7."— CoNYnEARE  &  IIowson's  Life  and  Epistles  of 
St.  Paul,  vol.  ii.  175.     Marginal  notes  to  Rom,  viii.  17. 

^  Akensidc's  *'  Pleasures  of  Imagination.'' 


^0  THEOLOGY   OF   UNlVEllS  ALISM. 

to  give  place  to  future  perfection,  holiness,  and 
joj.i 

And  the  argument  applies  equally  to  all  ;  for  if  all 
were  "  made^^  subject  to  "  vanity,"  then  all  have  an 
equal  claim  to  deliveranee  from  its  bondage.  And 
this  is  the  position  of  the  inspired  Apostle  ;  for  he  dis- 
tinctly asserts  that  the  same  "  creature"  subjected, 
viz.  the  human  creature,  the  entire  race  of  mankind.^ 
shall  be  delivered.'  And  the  accomplishment  of  this 
grand  result  is  the  purpose,  and  prophesied  comple- 
tion, of  the  Saviour's  mission,  as  revealed  in  the  apoc- 
alyptic vision  touching  the  New  Jerusalem  :  "  Beholdy 
the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  he  will  dweD 
with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his  people,  and  God 
himself  shall  be  with  them,  and  be  their  God,  And! 
God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes  ;  and 
there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  cry-- 
ing,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain  ;  for  the  for-^ 
mer  things  are  passed  away/'     Rev.  xxi. 

Thus  do  we  see  that  the  "  vanity"  and  "  Bondage" 
of  the  present  state,  are  prophetic  of  "  the  glorious 

•  William  Law,  Tvho  was  a  Universalist,  and  th«  authoi*  of  the  "  Se- 
rious Call"  and  "  Christian  Perfection,"  works  gi-eatly  prized  by  the 
orthodox  sects,  says  on  this  point :  **  ^s  for  ihe  -purification  of  all 
human  nature,!  fully  believe  it»  either  in  this  world,  or  some  after 
ages.  And  as  to  that  of  angels,  if  it  is  possible,  I  am  glad  of  it,  and 
also  stn-e  enough  that  it  will  then  come  to  pass."  Letters,  Letter  xii.y 
London  edition,  17G2.  Southey,  in  his  life  of  Wesley ,^  states  Laws's 
theological  views  in  detail,  including  his  belief  that  *'  all  beings  will 
finally  be  happy."    Vol.  i.  p.  216,  Harper's  edit. 

-  Whitby  says  "the  creature"  means  '^  the  whole  race  of  men," 
"  all  the  world  ;"  Mackxight  says^  "  every  human  creature,"  "  al! 
mankind,^'  &c. ;  Bloomfield,  "the  human  race;"  L\spis,  "  the  uni- 
Tersal  world"  {vniversum  viundum).  The  universality  of  meaning 
m  both  niembers  of  the  proposition,,  is  admitted  on  all  hands. 


GOD  — HIS   ATTRIBUTES,   ETC.  SI 

liberty"  of  the  future.  The  temporal  evil  is  but  the 
herald  of  everlasting  good ;  and  the  very  imperfec-* 
tion,  physical  and  moral,  of  the  earthly  constitution 
of  things,  is  suggestive  of  change  ;  the  pledge,  in 
fact,  of  that  final  beatified  condition  which  is  "  with  - 
out  variableness"  or  the  shadow  of  change.  This  in- 
fant school  of  our  being,  where  with  much  effort,  with 
raany  failures  and  repetitions,  we  slowly  learn  the  A^ 
B,  C,  of  life's  lessons,  points  with  unerring  finger  to 
the  University  of  Heaven,  where,  ou»  spiritual  edu-' 
cation  completed,  we  enter  upon  the  glories  and  the 
delights  of  the  life  immortal. 

To  this  result  the  character  of  God  as  a  wise  and 
beneficent  Creator,  and  all  the  divine  attributes  of 
Power,  Wisdom,  Goodness  and  Justice,  stand  com- 
mitted. It  is  the  only  solution  of  the  vexed  problem 
of  evil.  It  is  the  only  satisfactory  exposition  of  the 
purpose  of  God's  creation.  And,  finally,  it  is  the 
only  doctrine  which  equally  vindicates  his  perfection, 
honors  his  government,  and  challenges  the  admiration, 
the  worship,  the  confidence  and  afiection  of  all  his  in- 
telligent creatures. 

That  this  statement  rests  on  a  sure  foundation,  with 
abundant  evidence  in  its   support,  will  be  verified  by 
the  arguments  of  the  following  sections,  shewing  that, 
the  attributes  of  Deity,  in  their  active  relation  to  the  j 
work   of  creation,  do  by  their  very  nature  involve  ' 
and  pledge  this  ultimate  result* 


b2  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

SECTION      II. 

THE   WISDOM    OF    GOD THE    PLAN    OF   CREATION. 

In  the  use  of  the  word  "  wisdom  "  in  this  connec- 
tion, which  is  more  popular  than  precise,  we  mean 
chiefly  knowledge— knowledge  of  all  things  and  all 
events  ;  knowledge  which  embraces  all  possibilities, 
and  excludes  ^W  contingencies.  This  is  a  necessary 
element  in  the  character  of  Deity — a  part  of  his  es- 
sence. We  cannot  take  away  the  attribute  of  omni- 
ecicnce,  and  leave  the  idea  of  God  and  the  Creator 
perfect.  All  things  are  of  God  ,'  creation  is  but  the 
out-birth  of  his  thought  and  action  ;  all  events  flow 
from  causes  which  his  will  has  set  in  motion — and, 
therefore,  of  necessity,  he  knows  all  things  as  the 
original  cause  of  all  things. 

This  fact  is  recognized  everywhere  in  the  Bible,  in 
such  ])assages  among  others  as  these  : — "  Known  unto 
God  are  all  his  works  from  the  beginning  of  the  world." 
—Acts  XV.  18.  "  Great  is  the  Lord,  and  of  great 
power  ;  his  understanding  is  infinite." — Ps.  cxlvii.  5. 
"  He  is  perfect  in  knowledge."  .  .  .  .  "  With  him  is 
streno-th  and  wisdom  ;  the  deceiver  and  the  deceh^ed 
are  his." — Ps.  xxli.,  xxvi.  "  Declaring  the  end  from 
the  be^innino:,  and  from  ancient  times  the  thins^s  that 
arc  not  yet  done,  saying,  jNIy  counsel  sliall  stand,  and 
I  will  do  all  my  pleasure." — Isa.  xlvl.  10.  ''For 
thou,  even  thou  only  knowest  the  hearts  of  all  the 
children  of  men." — 1  Kings  viii.  39.  "  For  I  know 
their  works  and  their  thoughts  ;  it  shall  come,  that  I 
will  gather  all  nations  and  tongues  ;  and  they  shall 


GOD  —  HIS    ATTRIBUTES,    ETC.  33 

come  and  see  my  glory." — Isa.  Ixvi.  18.  "Neither 
is  there  any  creature  that  is  not  manifest  in  his  sight ; 
but  all  things  are  naked  and  open  unto  the  eyes  of 
him  with  whom  we  have  to  do." —  llcb.  iv.  13. 
"  Doth  not  he  see  my  way,  and  count  all  my  steps  ? 
....  For  his  eyes  are  on  the  ways   of  man,  and   he 

seeth    all    his    goings Therefore,    he  know- 

eth  their  works  and  overturneth  them." — Job  xxxi., 
xxxiv.  "  The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  in  every  place, 
beholdino;  the  evil  and  the  2:ood." — Pro  v.  xv.  3. 
"  Thou  understandest  my  thought  afar  off  (i.  e.  be- 
fore it  has  fairly  reached  me,  or  come  into  my  own 
mind),  and  art  acquainted  with  all  my  ways.  There 
is  not  a  Avord  in  my  tongue,  but  lo !  O  Lord,  thou 
knowest  it  altogether."  —  Ps.  cxxxix.  "  Behold, 
the  former  things  are  come  to  pass,  and  new  things 
do  I  declare ;  before  they  spring  forth,  I  tell  you  of 
them." — ^Isa.  xlii.  9. 

These  passages  set  forth  the  doctrine  of  God's  om- 
niscience in  clearest  terms.  The  past,  the  present, 
and  the  future,  are  all  one  to  him,  as  the  darkness 
and  the  light  are  one.  The  future  cannot  hide  from 
him  any  more  than  the  darkness.  Eternity  cannot 
teach  him  anything  new. 

There  can  be  no  additions  to  his  knowledge,  by  the 
occurrence  of  events  which  he  did  not  foresee  or  an- 
ticipate ;  events  or  results  which  were  not  embraced 
in  his  original  plan.  Nothing  can  come  to  pass  by 
the  action  of  causes  outside  of  himself,  causes  inde- 
pendent of  his  will,  and  self-creative. 

Both  the  character  of  God  as  sole  Creator,  as  the 
Alpha  and  Omega  of  the  universe,  and  the  Scriptures 
£3  the  authorized  exponent  of  his  attributes,  establish 


34  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM. 

beyond  controversy,  tlie  fact  that  all  things  ttYQ 
known  unto  him  from  the  bes-ioning:  to  the  end.  He 
knows  what  is  to  be  ;  and  he  shows  this  knowledge 
in  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  by  foretelling  the  events 
before  they  come  to  pass.  He  knows  the  thoughts 
and  purposes  of  the  hearts  of  all  the  children  of  men, 
the  evil  and  the  good  ;  marks  all  their  ways,  counts 
their  steps,  and  numbers  the  very  hairs  of  their 
heads.  Every  thing,  thought,  word,  desire,  action, 
event,  lies  open,  naked  before  his  all- seeing  eye ; 
from  the  establishment  of  a  solar  system,  or  the  de- 
struction of  a  nation,  down  to  the  idle  word,  or  the 
heart-pulse  of  the  obscurest  mortal  on  earth  ;  yea, 
down  to  the  least  interests  of  the  invisible  animalcule. 
"  His  understanding  is  infinite  ;  he  is  perfect  in 
knowledge." 

The  logical  deductions  from  these  divinely  author- 
ized premises,  are  obvious  to  every  one  who  has 
given  any  thought  to  the  subject.  The  Divine 
Knowledge  embraces  the  future  and  final  condition 
of  every  soul  of  man,  and  did  embrace  it  from  the 
beginning,  as  a  part  and  portion  of  the  original  plan 
of  God,  inherent  in  the  very  purpose  and  end  had  in 
view  in  the  creation  of  man. 

Let  us  consider  this  well.  Far  back  in  the  soli- 
tudes of  eternity,  neither  man  nor  the  earth  had  an 
existence.  It  was  entirely  optional  with  God, 
whether  he  would  or  not,  shape  this  earth,  and  set  it 
running  through  its  orbit ;  whether  he  would  or  not, 
create  such  a  being  as  man,  and  put  him  here  to  live 
out  his  threescore  years  and  ten.  There  was  no 
power  nor  infhicnce  outside  of  his  own  choice,  to 
coiri[)el  him  to  create  He  was  perfectly  free  to  do, 
or  leave  undone. 


GOD  —  HIS    ATTRIBUTES,    ETC.  35 

But  he  chose  to  do  ;  he  determined  to  create  just 
such  a  world  as  we  are  living  in,  and  just  such  a  race 
of  creatures  as  mankind.  Of  course,  he  did  not  do 
this  without  a  motive,  without  some  specific  object  in 
view,  and  some  clearly  defined  plan,  or  method,  by 
which  this  object  was  to  be  obtained.  He  could  not 
foreordain  the  end,  without  a  fore  ordination  of  the 
means  necessary  to  it.  We  cannot  suppose  he  began 
the  work  of  creation,  as  the  man  of  the  parable 
began  to  build  his  house,  without  counting  the  cost, 
or  considerino'  whether  he  were  able  to  finish  or  not. 

Let  us  now  take  the  case  of  a  single  soul,  and  fol- 
low it  through  its  various  experiences  to  the  close  of 
its  earthly  course,  and  its  entrance  upon  the  scenes 
of  its  future  and  final  destiny.  By  the  will  of  God 
this  soul  exists.  Why  did  he  bring  it  into  being  ? 
Was  it  from  caprice  or  sudden  impulse,  without 
a  motive  or  a  plan,  without  knowing  what  he 
should  do  with  it,  or  what  was  to  become  of  it?  Or, 
did  he  enter  upon  the  solemn  work  of  giving  exis- 
tence to  this  immortal  creature,  for  a  good  and 
satisfactory  reason,  knowing  perfectly  what  he  was 
doino;,  seeins:  into  all  the  future  of  its  life  in  time  and 
eternity,  having  a  distinct  and  settled  purpose  in 
regard  to  its  destination,  and  having  all  the  agencies 
appointed  and  arranged,  by  which  this  purpose  was 
CO  be  accomplished  ? 

Certainly  this  last.  The  very  idea  of  infinite 
knowledge,  of  unerring  and  all-comprehensive  wis- 
dom, compels  to  this  conclusion.  Of  course,  then,  it 
follows,  that  in  creating  this  soul  with  a  specific  end 
in  view,  with  a  pre-determined  object  to  be  realized, 
he  would  endow  it  with  reference  to  this  end  and  ob- 


3G  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM. 

ject.  Whatever  moral  powers  and  facultic?,  what- 
ever physical  passions  and  propensities,  whatever 
strength  or  weakness,  knowledge  or  ignorance,  enter- 
ed into  the  organization  of  this  being,  it  wonld  be 
with  a  perfect  foresight  of  their  operative  relations  to 
the  i^lan  with  which,  or  the  specific  destiny  for 
which,  he  was  created.  All  his  attributes  of  spirit 
and  body,  all  his  intellectual  and  mord  qualities^ 
would  be  harmonized  with  this  plan.  Nothing 
would  be  allowed  to  enter  into  his  composition, 
wdiich  would  work  to  the  defeat  of  this  plan.  This 
is  implied  in  the  very  notion  or  conception  of  plan. 
He  would  not  create  this  immortal  beino;  for  a  fore- 
ordained  destiny,  and  then  endow  him  with  moral  and 
mental  qualities,  which  he  distinctly  saw  would,  and 
of  course,  therefore,  intended  should,  forever  prevent 
it  from  realizing  that  destiny  ! 

Let  us  have  this  in  a  more  definite  form.  ''  By 
the  decree  of  God,  for  the  manifestation  of  his  glory, 
some  men  and  angels  are  predestinated  unto  ever- 
lasting life,  and  others  foreordained  to  everlasting 
death.  These  angels  and  men  thus  predestinated 
and  foreordained,  are  particularly  and  unchangeably 
determined,  and  their  number  is  so  certain  and  defi- 
nite, that  it  cannot  be  either  increased  or  diminished." 

Now  suppose  the  soul,  whose  case  is  under  review, 
was  one  of  the  number  "  foreordained  to  everlasting 
death  ;  "  suppose  God  had,  at  the  time  of  its  crea- 
tion, purposed  and  pre-determined  that  it  should,  in 
common  phrase,  be  damned,  is  it  likely  he  would 
bestow  upon  it  such  spiritual  faculties  and  tendencies, 
and  surround  it  with  such  heavenly  influences  as 
would  surely  work  out  its  salvation  ?     Sujipose,  on 


GOD — HIS   ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  87 

tHe  other  hand,  that  this  soul  was  one  of  the  number 
"  predestinated  unto  everlasting  life,"  can  we  for  a 
moment  believe  that  he,  who  created  it,  and  in  creat- 
ing had  the  choice  of  what  it  should  and  what  it 
should  not  be,  would  endow  it  with  any  powers  or 
agencies  which  he  knew  certainly  would  forever  pre- 
vent it  from  attaining  to  this  everlasting  life  ?  Or,  in 
briefer  phrase,  if  God  intended  this  soul  for  hell, 
would  he  send  a  Saviour  into  the  world  to  bring  it 
to  heaven  ?  And  if  he  intended  it  for  heaven,  would 
he  send  a  devil  into  the  world  to  drag  it  down  to 
hell? 

This  places  the  subject  in  its  true  position;  and 
the  old  Calvinistic  ground  set  out  in  the  above  quo- 
tation, is  the  only  ground  on  which  the  doctrine  of 
endless  woe  can  make  any  show  of  defence.  If  a 
sino;le  soul  be  damned,  it  is  because  it  was  created 
for  this  end,  foreseen  and  foreordained.  It  was  the 
original  thought  and  plan  of  God  in  creating  it,  and 
not  because  he  has  made  a  mistake  ;  not  because  the 
soul  is  anything  different  from  what  he  expected ; 
not  because  its  faculties  have  been  so  perverted,  to 
his  great  grief,  that  the  design  of  its  creation  is  de- 
feated. This  is  the  only  consistent  and  logical 
ground  for  those  who  assert  the  omnipotence  and 
omniscience  of  God. 

But  for  those  who  also  believe  in  the  infinite  good- 
ness of  God  this  ground  is  impossible.  It  is  impossi- 
ble to  believe  that  "  God  is  Love,"  as  the  Apostle 
declares  (1  John  iv.),  and  at  the  same  time  believe 
that  he  deliberately  sat  down  to  the  work  of  giving 
existence  to  an  immortal  soul,  only  that  he  might 
maka  that  existence  an  endless  curse  to  it  I     There 


38  THEOIX)GY    OF   UNITERSAHS5I. 

can  be  no  more  awful  blasphemy  than  this  yoking 
together  Infinite  and  Everlasting  Love  with  Intinite 
and  Everlasting  Woe.^ 

But  one  conclusion,  therefore,  remains,  that  God, 
at  the  time  of  creating  this  soul  —  and  the  argument 
is  from  one  soul  to  all  souls — intended  it  for  everlast- 
ing life  and  blessedness ;  for  an  endless  growth  In 
knowledge,  in  spiritual  j)Ower  and  heavenly  glory. 
This  was  his  purpose.  Hence  we  have  such  testi- 
monies as  these  :  ''  Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  re- 
ceive glory  and  honor  and  power ;  for  thou  hast  cre- 
ated all  things,  and  for  thy  pleasure  they  are  and 
were  created."  Rev.  iv.  11.  ''Having  made  known 
unto  us  the  mystery  of  his  will,  ace  irding  to  his  good 
pleasure  which  he  hath  purposed  in  himself;  that  in 
the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times  he  might 
gather  together  in  one  all  things  in  Christ,  both  which 
are  in  heaven,  and  which  are  on  earth;  even  in  him." 
Eph.  i.  Here  we  have  a  plain  and  emphatic  declar- 
ation of  the  purpose  and  pleasure  of  God  in  regard  to 
the  creation  and  final  destiny  of  all  intelligences, 
whether  in  heaven  or  on  earth.  We  see  what  he 
created  them  for.  There  is  no  doubt  as  to  his  origi- 
nal intention  and  design. 

And  now  the  argument  for  his  infinite  wisdom  re- 

>JoHN  Foster,  distinguished  among  the  English  Baptists  as  a  thinker 
ftnd  -writer,  in  his  letter  to  a  young  clergyman  troubled  with  doubts  in 
regard  to  endless  punishment,  says,  "  I  acknowledge  myself  not  con- 
vinced of  the  orthodox  doctrine.  Endless  punishment !  Hopeless 
misery  through  a  duration  to  which  the  most  enormous  terms  of  time 
will  be  absolutely  nothing  !  I  acknowledge  my  inability  (I  would  say 
it  reverently,)  to  admit  this  belief  together  with  a  belief  in  the  Divine 
Goodness  —  the  belief  that  God  is  LovCy  that  his  tender  mercies  are 
Qverallhis  vforks.' '—Sheppard's  Life  and  Correspondence  of  John 
Foster.    Letter  %'^, 


GOD HIS    ATTKIBUTES,  ETC.  B9 

turns  with  irresistible  force.  Creating  with  this  de- 
sign, he  of  course  arranged  his  plan  of  operations,  and 
ordered  his  government  and  laws  in  reference  to  it. 
The  nature  he  bestowed  on  man,  the  mental  forces, 
the  moral  sentiments,  the  religious  element,  the  bod- 
ily appetites,  were  all  harmonized  to  this  central 
thought  and  aim.  The  divine  omniscience  took  in  ali 
the  possibilities  and  certainties  of  his  life,  determined 
all  the  circumstances  of  lus  lot,  foresaw  all  the  in- 
fluences, however  subtle,  and  inappreciable  by  us, 
which  would  act  on  him  ;  and  pre-arranged  that  they 
should  all,  directly  or  indirectly,  contribute  to  the 
purposed  result ;  and  to  the  development  and  glory 
of  "  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  the  knowledore 
of  God,  and  of  his  unsearchable  judgments,"  Bom. 
xL     Or  in  the  truthful  lines  of  Akenside  : 

"  Bf holding  in  the  sacred  light 
Of  his  essential  reason  all  the  shapes 
Of  swift  contingence,  all  successive  ties 
Of  action  propagated  through  the  sum 
Of  possible  existence.  He  at  once 
Down  the  long  series  of  eventful  time 
So  fixed  the  dates  of  being,  so  disposed 
To  every  living  soul  of  every  kind 
The  field  of  motion  and  the  hour  of  rest. 
That  all  consijired  to  his  supreme  design, 
To  univtrsal  good  1 " 

Let  us  say  all  we  can  here  of  the  "  free  agency"  of 
man,  of  the  obstinacy  and  depravity  of  the  human 
heart,  of  the  rejection  of  the  offers  and  conditions  of 
salvation  ;  and  after  all  the  argument  founded  upon 
the  Scriptural  statement,  that,  "  known  unto  God 
are  all  his  works  from  the  bec^innino:  to  the  end,"  fur- 
nishes  a  simple  and  final  reply  to  it.  God  either 
did,  or  did  not,  foresee  all  these  diflSculties  (if  there 


40  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVEKSALISM. 

he  any  difficulties  with  God,')  when  he  devised  hi3 
plan  of  creation  and  redemption.  If  he  did  not  fore- 
see them,  then  he  does  not  know  "  all  his  works  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end" — but  the  Bible  affirms  that 
he  does  :  He  did,  therefore,  foresee  all  these  difficul- 
ties, and  foreseeing,  of  course,  he  provided  against 
them,  and  adjusted  his  plan  with  express  reference  to 
overcomin2:  them.' 

We  must  not  forget  that  both  the  use  and  the 
abuse  of  the  freedom  of  man,  lay  within  the  sweep  of 
God's  omniscience  at  the  time  of  creating  him.  If  he 
had  foreseen  that  man  would  so  abuse  this  moral  free- 
dom as  to  defeat  his  purpose  in  creating,  he  would 
have  arranged  it  differently.  And  as  he  did  not  ar- 
range it  differently,  we  need  have  no  fears  of  its  being 
a'hindrance  in  the  way  of  the  fulfilment  of  that  pur- 
pose. 

Whatever,  therefore,  the  measure  of  man's  freedom, 
it  was  embraced  in  the  original  plan  of  his  creation, 
and  is  perfectly  consistent  with  the  aim  and  end  of 
that  plan,  viz.  :  the  highest  perfection  and  blessed- 

^  The  following  is  from  Dr.  Johnson,  the  great  lexicographer  (if  Bp. 
Porteus  is  right,)  and  while  it  is  directly  to  the  pomt  argued  in  the 
text,  it  will  show  the  opinion  of  this  literary  giant  in  regard  to  the 
great  restoration.  The  passages  are  from  sermons  published  by  Dr, 
Taylor,  but  which  were  undoubtedly  written  by  Dr.  Johnson.  Scg 
Boswell*s  Life,  vol.  iii.  chap.  vi.  —  "We  know  th^>^t  God  is  infinite 
in  wisdom,  in  power,  and  in  goodness  ;  that  therefore  ne  designs  the 
happiness  of  all  his  creatures  ;  that  he  cannot  but  know  the  proper 
means  by  which  this  end  maybe  obtained  ;  and  that,  in  the  use  of  these 
means,  as  he  cannot  be  mistaken  because  he  is  omniscient,  so  he  cannot 
be  defeated  because  he  is  almighty."  In  another  of  these  sermons  on 
Psalm  cxlv.  9,  he  says,  "  Far  and  wide  as  is  the  vast  range  of  existence, 
80  is  the  Divine  benevolence  extended  ;  and  both  in  the  previous  trial 
hnd  final  retribution  of  all  his  rational  and  moral  productions^  the 
Lord  is  good  to  all,  and  his  tender  mercies  are  over  all  his  works." 


GOD HIS    ATTRIBUTES,   ETC.  41 

Ai  jss  of  which  he  is  constitutionally  capable.  To  this 
result  the  wisdom  of  God  is  pledged;  and  all  the 
foreseen  means  for  its  accomplishment  lie  within  the 
reach,  and  ready  at  the  fitting  time  for  the  use,  of 
that  Almighty  Power  which  "  worketh  all  things 
after  the  counsel  of  his  own  wilL"  Eph,  i.  And  the 
next  section  will  illustrate  the  manner  in  which  the 
Divine  Will  conforms  the  human  will  to  its  gracious 
purposes,  without  in  any  respect  violating  its  rights, 
or  restraining  its  freedom  or  voluntary  action. 

SECTION     III, 

THE  POWER  OP  O0» OMNIPOTENCE,  MORAL  AND    SPIRITUAL,  AS 

WELL    AS    PHYSICAL. 

§  I.  God  almighty  in  Ms  power  over  mind  as  well 
as  matter. — The  Bible  abounds  in  declarations  of  the 
illimitable  and  infinite  power  of  God,  passages  setting 
forth  his  ability  to  create  and  to  destroy,  to  govern 
and  control  the  destinies  of  nations  and  individuals, 
to  accomplish  all  his  purposes,  and  to  do  his  will 
throughout  the  physical  and  spiritual  universe.  It 
is  important  to  observe  the  language  of  this  state- 
ment— that  God  is  omnipotent,  not  only  in  the  natur- 
al world,  but  also  in  the  moral  and  spiritual  world. 
It  is  as  easy  for  him  to  create  and  govern  a  soul,  as 
to  create  and  govern  a  sun  or  a  planet.  And  it  re- 
quires no  more  efibrt  on  his  part  to  discipline  and 
save  a  moral  being,  according  to  the  laws  of  his 
moral  nature,  than  it  requires  to  control  the  solar 
systems,  according  to  the  material  laws  impressed 
upon  them  at  the  time  of  their  creation. 


42  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

This  fact  is  part  and  parcel  of  the  very  idea  of 
God,  and  essential  to  the  successful  government  of 
the  world,  and  the  realization  of  the  divine  plan  and 
purpose  in  creating  man.  And  this  fact  is  every- 
where recognized  in  the  Scripture  testimonies  to  the 
almighty  power  of  God. 

It  is  not  only  the  sunshine  and  the  rains,  the  winds 
and  the  lightnings,  the  sea  and  the  rivers,  the  earth, 
and  its  vitalizing  forces,  that  he  employs  to  work  out 
his  purposes  and  wishes ;  but  the  thoughts  and  the 
affections,  the  impulses  and  the  actions,  the  good  and 
the  evil,  of  intelligent  and  moral  beings. 

If  any  one  should  say  that  God  had  created  a 
material  world — the  "  lost  pleiad,"  for  example — and 
that,  having  created  it,  he  could  not  control  it,  could 
not  keep  it  in  its  orbit,  nor  compel  it  into  obedience 
to  the  laws  of  gravitation  ;  but  that,  by  growth  of 
the  forces  he  had  incorporated  in  it,  it  had  broken 
from  his  hold,  rushed  from  its  heavenly  path,  and 
plunged  into  the  infinite  abysses  of  space,  carrying 
confusion,  and  wreck,  and  ruin,  into  all  the  surround- 
ing systems  and  constellations  ;  and  that  the  Creator 
had  exerted  all  his  might  and  power  to  restore  it 
again  to  its  ancient  orbit,  and  remedy  the  evils  of  its 
rebellion  and  desertion,  but  had  utterly  failed,  and 
was  obliged  to  abandon  the  effort,  and  leave  its  place 
among  the  starry  orbs  forever  vacant — 

If  any  one  should  make  such  a  statement  as  this, 
or  teach  such  a  doctrine,  would  not  all  Christian  peo- 
ple say  that  it  was  virtually  atheism  ?  a  rejection  of 
the  perfections  of  the  Divine  character ;  a  direct  denial 
of  the  omnipotence  and  supreme  government  of  God  ; 
an  accusation  against  him  of  weakness  and  incapaci- 
ty? 


GOD  —  HIS   ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  43 

But  suppose  this  person  should  affirm  precisely  the 
Bame  thing  of  God's  creation  and  goyernment  of  the 
spiritual  universe ;  suppose  he  should  teach  that  he 
had  created  a  world  of  intelligent  beings,  and  estab- 
lished over  them  a  moral  government,  but  that  con- 
trary to  his  plan  and  expectation,  the  powers  and 
agencies,  the  intellectual  and  spiritual  forces,  which 
he  had  bestowed  upon  them,  had  developed  into  an 
opposition  to  his  authority  and  rule,  which  he  could 
not  overcome ;  and  that,  after  exhausting  all  liis 
moral  resources,  he  was  utterly  unable  to  restore  man 
to  obedience,  and  would  therefore  be  obliged  to 
abandon  him  to  endless  rebellion  and  sin,  and  ac- 
knowledge his  creation  and  government,  as  originally 
constituted,  a  complete  failure. 

Suppose  he  should  affirm  this  ;  would  there  be  the 
slightest  difference  between  it  and  the  former  state- 
ment regarding  the  "  lost  pleiad  ?"  Would  it  not  be 
substantially  the  same  thing  as  it  respects  the  athe- 
ism, and  the  denial  of  the  divine  omnipotence  and 
perfection?  What  is  the  difference,  at  bottom, 
whether  you  deny  the  power  of  God  over  spirit ;  or 
deny  his  power  over  matter  ?  Whether  you  say  he 
cannot  save  a  planet,  or  cannot  save  a  soul,  from 
ruin  ? 

Of  course,  we  do  not  ignore  the  essential  difference 
between  matter  and  mind  ;  between  the  laws  which 
govern  a  planet,  and  those  which  govern  a  soul.  It 
is  not  contended  that  God  undertakes  to  rule  and 
save  a  free  spirit,  in  the  same  way  in  which  he  holds 
the  sun  in  its  place,  or  sends  a  planet  through  its 
orbit.  But  the  thing  we  do  contend  for,  the  thing 
which  the  complete   omnipotence  of  God  logically 


44  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVEKSALISM. 

necessitates,  is,  that  he  is  just  as  ample  in  his  spiritual 
resources  for  educating,  training,  and  saving  the 
souls  of  men,  as  he  is  in  his  physical  resources  for 
shaping,  guiding,  and  governing  the  worlds  and  con- 
stellations in  their  courses.  And  we  contend,  far- 
ther, that  he  can  do  the  first  without  the  violation  of 
any  moral  agency,  or  of  any  spiritual  law,  just  as 
easy  as  he  can  do  the  last,  without  the  violation  of 
any  natural  or  physical  law. 

And  this,  as  already  said,  is  clearly  and  positively 
the  teaching  of  the  Scriptures.  "  Behold  thou  hast 
made  the  heaven  and  the  earth  by  thy  great  power 
and  stretched  out  arm,  and  there  is  nothing  too  hard 
for  thee."-— Jer.  xxxii.  17,  27.  "  O  Lord  God  of 
our  fathers,  art  not  thou  God  in  heaven  ?  and  rulest 
not  thou  over  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  heathen  ?  and 
in  thine  hand  is  there  not  power  and  might,  so  that 
none  is  able  to  withstand  thee." — 2  Chron.  xx.  6. 
"  He  ruleth  by  his  power  forever,  his  eyes  behold 
the  nations.  The  Lord  reigneth  ;  he  is  clothed  with 
majesty  ;  the  Lord  is  clothed  with  strength,  where- 
with he  hath  girded  himself:  the  world  also  is  es- 
tablished that  it  cannot  be  moved."  —  Ps.  Ixvi.  xciii. 
"  Whatsoever  the  Lord  pleased,  that  did  he  in 
heaven,  and  in  earth,  and  in  the  seas,  and  in  all  deep 
places." — Ps.  cxxxv. 

These  passages,  out  of  a  multitude,  set  forth  the 
physical  omnl^^otence  of  the  Deity,  or  his  infinite 
power  over  the  material  universe. 

But  side  by  side  with  these  are  such  testimonies  as 
the  following,  relating  to  the  moral  world  : — "  The 
king's  heart  is  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  as  the  rivers 
of  water :    he  turneth  it  whithersoever  he  wilU^ — 


GOD  —  HIS    ATTEIBUTES,   ETC.  45 

Prov.  xxi.  1.     "A  man's   heart   deviseth   his  way  ; 
but   the  Lord  directeth  his  steps,''  xvi.  9.     "  For  it 
is  God  which  worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do 
of  his  good  pleasure." — Phil.  il.  13.       "  For  whom 
he  did  foreknow  he  also  did  predestinate  to    he  con- 
formed to    the   ifnage    of  his    Son,  ....  moreover 
whom  he  did  predestinate,  them  he  also  called.'' — 
Eom.  viii.     "  Nov/  there  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but 
the  same  spirit ;  and  there  are  diversities  of  opera- 
tions, but  it  is  the   same  God  which  worheth  all  in 
fjli;^ — 1  Cor.  xii.     "  Therefore   said  I  unto  you  that 
no  man   can  come  unto  me,  except  it  were  given  him 
of  my  Father." — John  vi.  Qb.      "  Even  for  this  same 
purpose  have  I  raised  thee  up,  that  I  might  show  my 
power  in  thee,  and   that  my  name  may   be  declared 
throughout   all  the  earth." — Eom.  ix.  17.     ''A  new 
heart  will  I  also  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put 
within  you  ;  and  1  will  take  away  the  stony  heart 
out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  a  heart  of  flesh. 
And  I  will   put  my  spirit  within  you,  and  cause  you 
to  walk  in  my  statutes." — Ezek.   xxxvi.  26.     "  He 
doeth   according  to  his  will  in  the  army  of  heaven, 
and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  ;  and  none 
can  stay  his  hand,   or    say   unto    him.   What  doest 
thou?" — Dan.  iv.  35.     ''It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to 
go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle,  than  for  a  rich  man 
to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.     And  they  were 
,  astonished  out  of  measure,  saying  among  themselves, 
Who  then  can  be  saved  ?     And  Jesus  looking  upon 
them,  saith,  With  men  it  is  impossible,  but  not  with 
God  ;  for  with   God  all  things   are  jyossihle." — Mark 
X.  23—27. 

Similar  passages  might  be  multiplied  to  any  ex- 


46  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM.  ^ 

tent ;  but  these  are  sufficient  to  establish  the  state- 
ment, that  the  Bible  teaches  the  omnipotence  of  God 
in  the  moral  and  spiritual  world,  as  well  as  in  the 
material  world :  that  he  governs  the  affections  and 
purposes  of  men  as  easily,  and  as  truly,  as  he  governs 
the  motions  of  the  planets.  In  his  own  time,  he  takes 
away  the  stony  heart  of  Israel^  and  gives  them  a  new 
heart  and  a  new  spirit,  and  causes  them  to  walk  in 
his  statutes,  ^q  predestinates  and  calls  those  chosen 
to  the  work  of  the  Gospel,  and  conforms  them  to  the 
image  of  his  Son.  He  works  in  men  both  to  will 
and  to  do  according  to  his  pleasure.  He  doeth  his 
will  equally  among  the  spirits  of  heaven,  and  among 
the  inhabitants  of  earth  ;  and  in  the  work  of  salva- 
tion, there  is  no  degree  of  selfishness,  no  love  of  the 
world,  no  darkness  of  mind,  no  depravity  of  heart, 
too  great  to  be  overcome  by  the  infinite  power  of  his 
truth  and  love  ;  for  the  Saviour  directly  and  posi- 
tively affirms,  in  regard  to  this  very  point,  that 
nothing  is  impossible  with  God  ! 

Tnis  position  established,  the  next  question  is.  Since 
he  his  the  power ^  will  he  use  it  f  Is  there  any  Scrip- 
tural evidence  that  he  will  put  away  all  sin  and  evil, 
renew  all  hearts,  and  by  the  infinite  energies  of  his 
Spirit,  bring  all  souls  into  harmony  Avith  truth  and 
holiness  ?  The  passages  which  follow,  will  answer 
this  question  : 

"  I  will  greatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  my  soul  shall 
be  joyful  in  my  God  ;  for  he  hath  clothed  me  with 
the  garments  of  salvation  ;  he  hath  covered  mc  with 

the   robe   of   righteousness For  as  the    earth 

bringeth  forth  the  bud,  and  as  the  garden  causeth 
the  things  that  are   sown  in  it  to  spring  forth,   so 


GOD  —  HIS    ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  47 

the  Lord  God  will  cause  righteousness  an  I  praise 
to  spring  forth  before  all  the  nations.''^ — Isa.  Ixi.  10, 
11.  The  comparison  here  is  equally  intelligible  and 
positive.  As  surely  as  the  earth  puts  forth  its  bud, 
and  the  garden  causes  the  seed  sown  in  it  to  spring- 
up,  so  surely  will  the  truth  and  grace  of  God  put 
forth  their  bud  also,  and  in  due  time  cause  riirhteous- 
ness  to  spring  up  in  the  hearts  of  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth.  The  productive  relations  of  seed  and  soil 
are  not  more  fixed  in  the  order  of  nature,  than  the 
results  of  the  regenerating  power  of  divine  truth  in 
the  soul  of  man. 

And  how  can  it  be  otherwise  ?  Look  at  it.  If 
the  atmosphere,  the  sunshine,  the  rain,  electricity, 
fire,  the  ocean,  the  tree,  the  grain  of  wheat,  every 
element  of  nature,  answers  the  purpose  in  the  mate- 
rial world  for  which  it  was  created  ;  why  should  the 
Holy  Spirit,  why  should  the  Infinite  Love  of  God, 
be  eternally  defeated  of  their  ends  in  the  spiritual 
world  ? 

But  this  thought  is  repeated  in  other  words,  and 
the  point  of  the  comparison  ixade  more  significant,  if 
possible.  "  For  AS  the  rain  cometh  down,  and  the 
snow  from  heaven,  and  returneth  not  thither,  but 
watereth  the  earth,  and  maketh  it  bring  forth  and  bud, 
that  it  may  give  seed  to  the  sower  and  bread  to  the 
eater  ;  so  shall  my  word  he  that  goeth  forth  out  of 
my  mouth,  it  shall  not  return  unto  me  void,  but  it 
shall  accomplish  that  which  I  please,  and  it  shall 
prosper  in  the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it." — Isa.  iv.  10, 
11. 

Can  anything  be  more  direct  and  conclusive  than 
this  proclamation  of  the  eflSciency  of  the  divine  will 


48  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVEllSALISM. 

and  spirit  in  the  salvation  of  mankind  ?  Was  it  ever 
known  that  the  rain  came  down  from  heaven  and 
went  back  again  without  watering  the  earth  ?  Was 
it  ever  known  that  God  failed  to  restore  the  earth  in 
spring  time,  and  make  it  bud  and  bring  forth? 
^N'ever  !  Just  as  surely,  then,  as  the  rain  does  not  re- 
turn to  the  heavens  without  doing  the  work  for 
which  it  was  sent,  so  surely  the  word  of  God  shall 
not  return  to  him  void.  As  certainly  as  the  forces  of 
nature  in  spring  renew  and  freshen  the  earth  into  life 
and  beauty,  and  abundance,  so  certainly  shall  his 
truth,  the  gospel  of  his  grace,  renovate  and  restore 
the  moral  world  to  its  primeval  beauty  and  purity. 
And  this  is  the  argument  and  witness  of  God  himself, 
to  show  that,  having  infinite  spiritual  power,  he  will 
use  it  for  the  salvation  of  mankind,  as  efficiently  as 
he  uses  his  infinite  physical  power  in  the  creation  and 
renew^al  of  the  earth. 

But  there  are  other  texts  going  directly^  without 
comparison,  to  the  sam.e  result.  "  For  this  is  the 
covenant  that  I  will  make  watli  the  house  of  Israel 
after  those  days,  saith  the  Lord  ;  I  will  put  my  laws 
into  their  minds^  and  write  them  in  their  hearts  * 
and  I  will  be  to  them  a  God,  and  they  shall  he  to  me 
a  people  :  and  they  shall  not  teach  every  man  his 
neighbor,  and  every  man  his  brother,  saying.  Know 
the  Lord — for  all  shall  hnow  me^  from  the  least  to  the 
greatest.  For  I  will  be  merciful  to  their  unrighteous- 
ness, and  their  sins  and  their  iniquities  will  I  remem- 
ber no  more." — Hcb.  viii.  10 — 12.  Observe,  here, 
not  only  the  universality  of  the  phraseology,  but  the 
absoluteness  of  it.  God  says,  I  will  put  my  law  in 
their  hearts — they  shall  be  my  people,  and  they  shall 


GOD HIS    ATTEIBUTES,    ETC.  49 

know,  and  their  sins  and  iniquities  shall  be  put  away. 
He  not  only  has  the  moral  power  to  change  and 
save  them,  but  he  declares  he  will  employ  it  to  this 
end. 

"  There  is  no  God  beside  me ;  a  just  God  and  a 
Saviour.  Look  unto  me,  and  he  ye  saved,  all  the 
ends  of  the  earth  ;  for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none 
else.  I  have  sworn  by  myself,  the  word  is  gone  out 
of  my  mouth  in  righteousness,  and  shall  not  return. 
That  unto  me  every  knee  shall  bow,  and  every  tongue 
shall  swear,  surely  shall  say.  In  the  Lord  have  I 
righteousness  and  strength — to  him  shall  men  come  ; 
and  all  that  are  incensed  against  him  shall  be 
ashamed." — Isa.  xlv.  21 — 25.  Here  we  have  the 
same  direct  and  unqualified  language  from  the  Lord 
himself,  aflSrming  the  truth,  that  the  infinite  energies 
of  his  spirit  will  be  used  in  renewing  the  soul  of  man 
unto  righteousness.  There  are  no  conditions  nor 
contingencies  here — "  be  ye  saved  " — "  every  knee 
shall  bow  " — absolute  and  certain,  wrought  out  by 
the  will  of  God,  whose  omnipotence  cannot  fail  of  its 
end. 

§  II.  The  Freedom  of  the  human  will,  or  "  Free 
Ageney,^^ — It  may  be  said  in  reply  to  the  preceding 
reasoning,  that  this  is  simply  compelling  men  to  be 
saved,  without  regard  to  their  voluntary  action.  We 
answer,  No ;  for  all  this  is  done  in  harmony  with 
spiritual  laws  and  man's  freedom.  There  is  no  com- 
pulsion, no  force.  The  comparison  of  the  garden 
and  the  rain  is  still  in  place.  The  earth  is  not  com- 
pelled mechanically  to  bud  and  bring  forth,  and  there 
is  no  violation  of  atmospheric  laws  when  the  rain 
falls.     The  seed  do  not  lose  their  freedom  or  indi- 


fiO  THEOLOGY    OF   UXIVERSALISM. 

viduality  as  seed,  because  the  air,  and  rain,  and  sun- 
shine, operating  through  the  soil,  develope  the  germ 
within,  and  push  it  out  into  leaf,  and  bud,  and  blos- 
som, and  fruit.  So  with  the  soul  of  man  ;  there  is 
no  violation  of  law,  no  loss  of  freedom,  no  conflict  of 
forces,  when  the  Spirit  of  God,  acting  with  the  truth, 
sends  in  the  light  upon  the  darkened  mind,  quickens 
the  affections,  and  lifts  the  whole  being  into  the  eter- 
nal life  of  faith  and  love.  Paul  was  as  free  when  he 
preached  the  Gospel,  as  when  he  persecuted  the  dis- 
ciples ;  and  he  followed  the  impulses  of  his  heart  as 
truly,  when  he  asked,  submissively,  "  Lord,  what  wilt 
thou  have  me  to  do?  "  as  when  he  left  the  Damascus 
gate,  "  breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter !  " 
The  only  difference  was  that,  in  the  meantime,  God 
had  changed  his  heart ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  truth 
and  light  of  heaven  had  streamed  in  upon  his  soul, 
and  he  willingly  and  rejoicingly  followed  their  lead. 
And  this  is  the  case  with  every  converted  soul.  As 
Dr.  Woods,  of  Andover  Seminary,  says  :  "  The  true 
convert  wills  or  chooses  as  really  as  before.  The 
difference  is,  he  now  chooses  right.  He  now  has  a 
will  truly  free.  Before  his  will  was  free  from  com- 
pulsion— free  in  every  sense  necessary  to  his  being  a 
moral,  accountable  agent.  But  after  all  he  was  a 
slave  to  sin,  and  under  the  bondage  of  corruption. 
Now  he  is  free,  and  his  will  is  free  in  the  best  sense, 
free  from  the  slavery  of  depraved  passions  and  de- 
sires. The  work  of  God  in  conversion  emancipates 
the  sinner  from  this  dejrradinjx  bonda^ie,  and  brink's 
him  into  subjection  to  the  will  of  God.  This  is  true 
liberty,  "  The  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God." 

*  Woods'  Works,  vol.  v.,  p.  549.     See  also  his  "  Letters  to  Unita- 
rians," Letter  x.,  and  "  Reply  to  Ware,"  Works,  vol.  iv.  81-90,  250. 


GOD  —  HIS    ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  61 

And  tlie  philosophy  of  this  method  of  conver- 
eion  and  salvation  which  Paul  had  experimentally 
known  in  his  own  soul,  he  afterwards  asserted  and 
illustrated  in  his  letter  to  the  Hebrew  believers  : 
"  Now  the  God  of  peace,  that  brought  again  from 
the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  great  Shepherd 
of  the  sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting 
covenant  mahe  you  perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do 
his  will,  working  in  you  that  which  is  well  pleasing 
in  his  sight,  through  Jesus  Christ.^'     Chap.  xiii. 

In  our  anxiety  to  assert  the  freedom  of  man's  will, 
we  must  not  forget  that  God  is  free  as  well  as  man  ; 
free  to  choose,  free  to  work.  It  is  said  that,  if  God 
influences  man  so  as  to  make  the  result  certain,  then 
he  is  not  free,  he  cannot  do  as  he  pleases.  But  if 
man  can  so  abuse  his  freedom  as  to  defeat  the  pur- 
pose of  God,  then  God  is  not  free  ;  he  cannot  do  as  he 
pleases ! 

Suppose  Paul  had  possessed  a  "  free  agency" 
which  would  not  yield  to  the  enlightening  influences 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  —  suppose  in  the  exercise  of  his 
freedom,  he  had  chosen  to  remain  Saul,  the  perse- 
cutor, instead  of  becoming  Paul,  the  apostle,  accord- 
ing to  the  purpose  of  God ;  whose  freedom  would 
have  been  greatest  in  this  case  ?  whose  will  the 
strongest  ?  whose  plans  overturned  ?  But  is  not  the 
principle  involved  in  this  case  the  same  operating  in 
the  case  of  every  soul  finally  wrecked  and  ruined  ? 
If  God  created  man  for  endless  happiness  and  glory, 
and  man  abuses  his  agency  to  his  endless  destruction 
—if  God  is  not  free  to  bring  him  to  heaven,  and  man 
is  free  to  go  to  hell ;  whose  freedom  is  mightiest  in 


52  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALIS3I. 

this  case  ?  whose  will  prevails  ?  and  whose  plans  are 
overthrown  ?  ' 

We  should  be  careful,  as  observed,  in  defending  hu- 
man freedom,  not  to  destroy  Divine  freedom.  And  we 
must  remember  that  if  man  is  a  "  free  ajrent,"  and 
can  do  as  he  chooses  ;  God  is  also  a  "  free  agent," 
and  can  do  as  he  chooses — and  that  if  the  will  and  pur- 
pose of  man  come  into  conflict  w^ith  the  will  and  the 
purpose  of  God,  there  can  be  but  one  issue  to  such  a 
conflict.  God  will  prevail :  and,  as  remarked  he  will 
prevail  so  as  in  no  way  to  violate  any  law  of  our  spir- 
itual constitution,  or  infringe  in  the  slightest  degree 
the  moral  liberty  with  which  he  has  endowed  us. 

Look  at  the  following  record  :  "  And  Jesus,  walk- 

*  Dk.  Woods  lias  a  good  thing  on  this  point,  -which  deserves  a  place 
here  :  *'  No  one  can  have  any  power  except  what  God  gives,  and  there 
can  be  no  greater  absurdity  than  to  suppose  that  God  will  give  to  any 
of  his  creatures  a  power  which  he  cannot  control,  and  which  shall  in 
any  possible  circumstances,  so  come  in  the  way  of  his  administration  as 
actually  to  prevent  him  from  doing  what  he  wills  to  do.  If  he  is  really 
omnipotent,  and  if  all  power  in  creation  depends  on  him,  it  must  be 
that  he  will  do  all  his  pleasure  ;  that  whatever  he  sees  on  the  whole  to 
be  the  best  he  will  certainly  accomplish. 

•*  As  the  supreme  government  of  God  relates  to  all  his  works,  it  re- 
lates particularly  to  the  moral  world.  This  is  the  most  important  part 
of  the  creation,  and  it  is  of  course  most  of  all  important  that  this  should 
be  managed  right  ;  and  to  be  managed  right,  is  to  be  managed  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  God  :  or  in  other  words  according  to  the  dictates  of 
infinite  perfection.  If  God  is  prevented  from  doing  his  own  righteous 
and  holy  will,  he  is  prevented  by  something  within  himself,  or  some- 
thing without  himself.  If  by  something  within  himself,  then  there  are 
contradictory  attributes  in  his  own  spiritual  nature  :  an  imperfection  in 
a  mind  which  is  absolutely  perfect ;  a  principle  opposed  to  wisdom  and 
goodness  in  one  who  is  infinitely  wise  and  good.  And  to  suppose  that  ho 
is  in  any  case  hindered  from  doing  his  own  joleasure  by  any  thing  with' 
out  himself,  that  is,  by  something  in  created  beings,  is  to  suppose  that 
he  has  designedly  invested  them  with  power  to  frustrate  his  designs. 
And  this  is  the  same  as  to  suppose  that  he  purj)oscly  acts  against  hxai- 
Bc\(^^— Biblical  Rcposilonj,  Jan..,  1844. 


GOD — HIS   ATTRIBUTES,   ETC.  53 

lug  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  saw  two  brethren,  Simon 
called  Peter,  and  Andrew  his  brother,  casting  a  net 
into  the  sea ;  for  they  were  fishers.  And  he  said 
unto  them,  Follow  mc,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers 
of  men.  And  they  straightway  left  their  nets,  and 
followed  him.  And  going  on  from  thence,  he  saw 
two  brethren,  James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and  John 
his  brother,  in  a  ship  with  Zebedee  their  father, 
mending  their  nets  ;  and  he  called  them.  And  they 
immediately  left  the  ship  and  their  father,  andfoU 
lowed  him:'  Matt.  iv.  18-22.  And  after  these 
things  he  went  forth,  and  saw  a  publican,  named 
Levi,  sitting  at  the  Eeceipt  of  Custom,  and  he  said 
unto  him.  Follow  me.  And  he  left  all,  rose  up  and 
followed  him^'     Luke  v.  27. 

Now  were  these  men  compelled  to  leave  all  and  fol- 
low Jesus,  in  any  sense  that  implied  unwillingness  on 
their  part  ?  Was  their  "  free  agency"  violated,  or 
did  they  follow  their  own  wishes  and  preferences  ? 
Of  course  the  last.  They  were  just  as  free,  acted  just 
as  entirely  out  of  their  own  hearts,  when  they  became 
the  disciples  of  Jesus,  as  when  they  followed  their 
former  occupations.  God  had  a  new  and  higher 
work  for  them ;  and  when  the  time  came,  and  the 
work  was  ready  for  them,  they  were  ready  for  the 
work.  And  Peter  and  Andrew  and  James  and  John 
went  into  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel,  as  cheerfully  as 
they  ever  went  out  upon  the  Lake  of  Galilee  to  fish. 
And  Matthew,  the  tax-gatherer,  even  celebrates  his 
abandonment  of  the  custom-house,  and  his  conver- 
sion and  obedience  to  the  call  of  Christ,  by  a  joyful 
gathering  of  his  former  business  associates  and 
friends.     Luke  v.  29. 


64  THEOLOGY   OF   UXIVERSALISM. 

There  is  no  form  which  opposition  to  the  great 
truth  of  universal  reconcihation  takes,  indicative  of 
such  entire  ignorance  of  the  nature  of  man,  of  the 
philosophy  of  the  human  affections,  as  that  which 
so  persistently  sets  up  against  it,  the  doctrine  of 
"free  agency,"  and  argues  from  it  that  "  God  will 
not  compel  men  to  be  saved,  will  not  force  them  into 
heaven." 

Do  we  compel  the  drunkard  into  temperance, 
when  by  showing  him  the  evil  of  his  course, 
and  the  benefits  and  blessings  of  a  temperate 
life,  and  helping  him  to  conquer  his  raging  appe- 
tite, we  restore  him  to  himself  and  his  family  a 
reformed  and  happy  man?  And  when  the  aban- 
doned outcast,  the  depraved  and  hardened  crim- 
inal, is  subdued  into  tears  and  penitence  by  the  ear- 
nest prayers  and  exhortations,  by  the  persevering  la- 
bor of  love  in  his  behalf;  and  finally  shakes  off  the 
palsy  of  his  sin,  and  enters  gladly  upon  a  new  life  of 
virtue  and  holiness  —  when  thus  he  faces  about  to- 
wards heaven,  is  he  forced  to  it  in  any  sense  that  does 
not  make  the  force  a  joy  and  a  triumph  to  him  ?  in 
any  sense  that  does  not  leave  him,  heart  and  soul, 
free  as  the  air  he  breathes  ?  Did  ever  a  reformed 
sinner  complain  that  he  was  driven  into  reformation 
against  his  will  ? 

And  when  through  their  much  patience  and  gen- 
tleness, and  long-suffering  affection,  a  disobedient  and 
wilful  child  is  brought  to  the  feet  of  his  parents  in 
shame  and  repentance,  is  any  violence  done  to  his 
freedom  as  a  moral  beino;  ?  Is  it  not  rather  that,  in- 
structed  by  their  teachings,  and  overcome  by  their 
love,  he  chooses  what  they  choose  for  him,  and  so  hia 
will  and  theirs  come  into  concurrence  and  unity. 


55 

Was  the  Prodigal  Son  any  less  free  in  wish  or  feel- 
ing, in  purpose  or  will,  when,  taught  by  his  folly,  and 
influenced  by  his  circumstances,  and  compelled^  if  you 
will,  by  his  sufferings,  he  said  "  I  will  arise,  and  go 
to  my  Father,"  than  when  he  "  gathered  all  together, 
and  took  his  journey  into  a  far  country,  and  there 
wasted  his  substance  in  riotous  living?"  Not  one 
iota  less  free ;  but  infinitely  wiser  by  his  sorrowful 
experience,  and  willing  henceforth  to  be  guided  by 
his  father,  and  to  find  rest,  and  peace  in  the  dear  old 
home  which  gave  him  such  loving  welcome  back. 

And  I  am  happy  to  add  here  a  testimony  and  an 
illustration  on  the  point  involved,  from  John  Wesley, 
the  founder  of  Methodism.  ''  There  seems,"  says 
he,  "  to  be  a  plain  and  simple  way  of  removing  this 
difficulty,  without  entangling  ourselves  in  any  subtle, 
metaphysical  disquisition.  As  God  is  one,  so  the  work 
of  God  is  uniform  in  all  ages.  May  we  not  then  con- 
ceive how  he  will  work  on  the  souls  of  men  in  time  to 
come,  by  considering  how  he  does  work  now  ?  and 
how  he  has  wrought  in  times  past  ?  Take  one  in- 
stance of  this  in  which  you  cannot  be  deceived.  You 
know  how  God  wrought  in  your  own  soul.  He  did 
not  take  away  your  understanding,  but  enlightened 
and  strengthened  it.  He  did  not  destroy  any  of  your 
aflfections  ;  rather  they  were  more  vigorous  than  be- 
fore. Least  of  all  did  he  take  away  your  liberty, 
your  power  of  choosing  good  and  evil ;  he  did  not 
force  5  ou  ;  but  being  assisted  by  his  grace,  you,  like 
Mary,  chose  the  better  part.  Just  as  he  has  assisted 
thousands,  without  depriving  any  of  them  of  that  lib- 
erty which  is  essential  to  a  moral  agent.  Now  in  the 
same  manner  as  God  has  converted  so  many  to  him- 


56  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

self,  without  destroying  their  liberty,  he  can  undoubt- 
edly, convert  whole  nations,  or  the  whole  world  I  It 
is  as  easy  for  him  to  convert  a  world,  as  one  individ- 
ual soul."  * 

And  it  is  curious  to  see  how  the  Arminlan  and 
the  Calvinist  both  unite  on  this  point  to  sustain  the 
preceding  reasoning.  The  following  is  from  Prof. 
Stuart,  late  of  the  Andover  Institution : 

"  Men  who  doubt  and  reason  thus  do  in  their  own 
hearts,  make  the  work  of  conversion  a  mere  business 
of  moral  suasion  by  force  of  reasoning  and  argument. 
They  overlook  the  omnipotence  of  that  Spirit^  whose 
office  it  is  to  how  the  stuhhoim  will,  and  soften  the 
hearts  of  the  ujihelieving.  What  I  are  not  all  things 
possible  with  God  ?  Can  he  not  '  make  the  people 
wilUng  in  the  day  of  his  power  ?  '  Cannot  he,  who 
works  in  men  '  according  to  the  working  of  his  mighty 
power  which  he  wrought  in  Christ  when  he  raised 
him  from  the  dead,'  can  he  not  make  the  deaf  to  hear, 
and  the  blind  to  see  ?  Can  he  not  raise  the  dead  to 
life  ?  Has  he  not  promised  to  do  all  this  ?  Has  he 
not  often  repeated  the  assurance  that  he  will  do  it  ? 
Has  he  not  done  it  in  numberless  instances  ?  Is  any 
thino;  too  hard  for  God  ?  Are  not '  all  hearts  in  his 
hand ; '  and  so  in  it,  that  he  can  turn  them  whither- 
soever he  will,  even  as  the  rivers  of  water  are  turned  ? 
Can  any  resist  God's  will?  Cannot  he  whose 
mighty  power  bowed  the  hearts  of  our  pagan  ances- 
tors —  cannot  he  bow  the  hearts  of  the  children  of 
Abraham  ?  With  the  apostle  I  answer,  '  The  Jews 
also,  if  they    abide    not  still  in    unbelief,  shall    be 

^  Sermon  on  Isaiah,  xi.  9 


GOD HIS  ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  67 

grafted  in  ;  for  Grocl  is  able  to  graft  them  in.*  Eom. 
11  :  23.  And  how  can  they  abide  in  unhelief^  when, 
according  to  the  promise  of  God,  of  which  he  will 
never  repent,  the  seed  of  Abraham  shall  have  a  new 
heart,  and  a  right  spirit  given  to  them  ?  The  suppo- 
sition calls  in  question  the  veracity  of  God !  To 
doubt  on  this  subject,  is  to  question  his  power  and  his 
truth,  the  reality  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  the 
omnipotence  of  the  Holy  Spirit !  Believers  in  the 
Scriptures  are  not  permitted  to  doubt.  The  thing  is 
certain.  The  decree  has  gone  forth,  stamped  with 
Heaven's  own  seal  upon  it.  Jehovah  hath  sworn  by 
himself,  that  cxsery  knee  shall  yet  how  to  Jesus,  and 
every  tongue  confess  that  he  is  Lord.'''' 

"  The  day  and  the  hour,  when  all  which  has  been 
promised  may  be  fulfilled,  we  may  not  know.  It  is 
not  essential  that  we  should  know  them.  But  the 
promises  of  God,  the  facts  which  he  has  declared 
shall  take  place,  are  certain.'''  ^ 

'  Sermon  at  Ordination  ofVf.  G.  Schauffler.  The  following,  from 
Dr.  PoxD,  of  the  Bangor  Theological  Seminary,  is  conclusive  on  the 
point : 

*'  The  question  therefore  comes  to  this,  Is  it  impossible  for  God  to 
convert  and  save  all  men  ? 

But  in  what  sense  can  this  be  considered  as  impossible?  Is  it  incon- 
sistent with  the  nature  of  the  human  mind,  and  with  the  freedom  and 
accountability  of  man  ?  Such  a  supposition  is  a  priori  incredible  ;  be- 
cause God  made  the  minds  of  men,  as  well  as  their  bodies  —  made  them 
free,  accountable  agents— and  it  is  not  likely  that  he  would  give  exis- 
tence to  a  being  which  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  control.  Besides, 
is  it  not  a  fict  that  God  does  control  the  minds  of  men,  of  all  men,  in 
perfect  consistency  with  their  freedom  and  accountability  ?  I  speak  not 
now  of  the  manner  in  which  this  is  done,  whether  by  a  dii-ect  efficiency 
in  view  of  motives,  or  by  the  mere  influence  of  motives  ;— the  fact  that 
it  is  done  will  not  be  denied,  except  by  those  who  deny  that  God  exe- 
ecutea  his  purposes  and  governs  the  world.     The  Scriptures  too  —  by 


68  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

The  result,  then,  of  our  Scriptural  investigations  re- 
specting  the  omnipotence  of  God  is  substantially  this  : 
That  his  power  over  spirit  is  as  absolute  as  is  his 
power  over  matter — that  he  can  do  his  will  as  easily, 
and  that  he  will  do  it  as  certainly,  in  the  moral  world 
as  in  the  material  world  —  that  he  not  only  has  the 
power  to  lead  his  children  from  darknes  into  light, 
from  unbelief  and  sin  into  faith  and  righteousness,  to 
take  away  their  evil  heart  and  give  them  a  new  heart 
and  a  new  spirit,  and  finally  to  reconcile  and  restore 
all  things  to  himself;  but  that  " in  the  dispensation 
of  the  fulness  of  times,"  he  will  do  it,  teaching 
through  Christ,  sanctifying  through  his  Holy  Spirit, 
and  so  establishinfi^  the  reio;n  of  Love  and  Holiness 
throughout  the  universe  forever  more  ! 

SECTION      IV. 
THE  GOODNESS  OF  GOD INFINITE  AND  UNCHANGEABLE. 

It  would  be  a  work  of  supererogation  to  enter 
upon  an  elaborate  argument  to  prove  that  God  is  infi- 
nitely good.  Goodness  is  his  nature  and  essence — 
"  God  is  Love,'^  1  John  iv.  And  the  very  word 
"  good  "   is  but  another  way  of  saying  "  God  ;  "  for 

necessary  implication,  by  direct  assertion,  and  in  almost  every  form  of 
representation  and  expression — exhibit  the  free  minds  of  men  as  subject 
to  the  control  of  Him  who  ruleth  all. 

God's  control  over  the  free,  responsible  mind  is  also  exhibited  in 
every  instance  of  conversion.  Every  conversion  which  takes  place  is 
the  work  of  God's  Spirit,  accomplished  in  perfect  consistency  with  the 
nature  of  the  mind,  and  without  any  infringement  of  human  freedom 
or  accountability.  But  are  not  all  minds  constituted  essentially  alike? 
And  if  it  is  possible  for  God  to  convert  one  sinner  in  the  manner  above 
described,  why  not  two  ?  why  not  as  many  as  he  pleases  ?  why  not  allV* 


GOD nrS    ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  59 

in  the  old  Saxon,  God  aud  Good  are  one  word,  and 
not  two,  as  with  us.  The  word  meant  "  goodness  " 
or  "  the  good,"  and  hence,  because  of  the  infinitely 
benevolent  character  and  disposition  of  the  Divine 
Being,  it  was  used  to  designate  him,  both  as  a  name 
and  a  title. •^ 

The  evidences  and  manifestations  of  God's  good- 
ness, are  co-extensive  with  his  creation ;  and  its  uni- 
versality and  eternity  are  affirmed  everywhere  in  the 
Sacred  Scriptures.  The  heavens,  the  earth,  and  the 
sea,  are  his  witnesses  ;  and  prophets  and  apostles, 
Moses  and  Jesus,  bear  the  same  testimony  to  the 
truth,  that  "  the  Lord  is  good  unto  all,  and  his  ten- 
der mercies  over  all  his  works." 

If,  then,  the  very  essence  of  the  Deity  is  Love,  if 
he  is  infinitely,  and,  of  course,  unchangeably  good,  all 
his  actions  must  be  good,  everything  he  does,  or  ever 
will  do,  must  proceed  from  his  eternal  love.  The 
creation  of  man,  the  government  of  the  world,  his 
providence,  his  laws,  his  penalties  and  punishments, 
the  mingled  joys  and  sorrows,  the  good  and  evil  of 
our  lot,  all  originate  in  beneficent  wisdom,  and  must 
have  a  beneficent  end. 

Of  course,  we  cannot  judge  safely  of  the  means, 
but  we  are  sure  of  the  end.  God  says,  truly  : — "  Mj 
thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,  neither  are  my  ways 
your  ways.  For  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the 
earth,  so  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways,  and 
my  thoughts  than  your  thoughts." — ^Isa.  Iv.     Often 

^  It  is  worthy  of  note  that,  while  God  is  so  frequently  called  Lore,  he 
is  never  said  to  be  Wisdom,  or  Power,  or  Justice.  These  are  only  at- 
tributes, or  manifestations  of  the  Deity;  but  Love  is  his  essence,  the 
very  nature  and  substance  of  God. 


GO  TnEOLOGT   OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

he  accomplishes  his  designs  in  ways  far  above  ours, 
and  which  we  cannot  understand ;  but,  whatever  the 
ways  and  means  employed,  when  the  end  is  reached, 
it  will  be  found  to  be  full  of  blessing.  This  is  the 
necessary  consequence  of  the  fact  of  infinite  good- 
ness.    No  other  conclusion  is  possible. 

By  the  help  of  this  plain  and  indisputable  truth,  let 
the  reader  interpret  the  language  already  cited  in 
part,  in  a  previous  section  : — "  By  the  decree  of  God, 
for  the  manifestation  of  his  glory,  some  men  are  pre- 
destinated unto  everlasting  life,  and  others  foreor- 
dained unto  everlasting  death.  Those  of  mankind, 
that  are  predestinated  unto  life,  God,  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world  was  laid,  according  to  his 
eternal  and  immutable  purpose,  and  the  secret  coun- 
sel and  good  pleasure  of  his  will,  hath  chosen  in 
Christ,  unto  everlasting  life,  out  of  his  mere  free 
grace  and  love,  without  any  foresight  of  faith  or 
good  works,  or  any  other  thing  in  the  creature,  as 
conditions  and  causes  moving  him  thereunto."  ' 

*  And  that  I  may  not  seem  to  make  the  jiresent  responsible  for  the 
past,  I  give  the  following,  copied  verbatim  ^  from  the  Presbyterian 
Confession  of  Faith,  as  ratified  by  the  General  Assembly,  in  May,  1821, 
and  amended  in  1833,  and  i^ublished  under  the  sanction  of  the  Assem- 
bly in  1834.  The  Presbyterians  in  the  United  States,  number  more 
than  4500  Ministers. 

"  God,  from  all  eternity  did,  by  the  most  wise  and  holy  counsel  of  hij 
own  it-iV/ ,  freely  and  unchangeably  orcZat/i  whatsoever  comes  to  pafls. 
««  **  »*** 

By  the  decree  of  God,  for  the  manifestation  of  his  glory ^  some  men 
and  angels  are  predestinated  unto  everlasting  life,  and  others /oreor- 
dained  to  everlasting  death. 

These  angels  and  men  thus  predestinated  and  foreordained,  arc  par- 
ticularly and  unchangeably  designed^  and  their  number  is  so  certain 
and  definite^  that  it  cannot  be  either  increased  or  diminished. 

Those  of  mankind  that  are  predestinated  unto  life,  God,  before  the 


GOD  —  ITIS    ATTRIBUTES,    ETC.  Gl 

Now,  it  is  a  matter  of  little  consequence,  so  far  as 
it  concerns  tlie  character  of  God,  whether  this  awful 
result  was  foreordained  by  immutable  decree,  or  sim- 
ply foreseen  by  an  all-comprehending  knowledge, 
(and  this  is  a  point  which  those  who  reject  the  de- 
crees with  horror,  and  yet  hold  to  endless  punish- 
ment, do  not  seem  to  understand,)  for  the  principle, 
the  moral  element  involved,  is  the  same  in  both 
cases.  There  can  be  no  foreordination  without  a 
foreknowledixe  and  choice  of  what  is  to  be  foreor- 
dained  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  there  can  be  no  cer- 
tain foreknowledge  of  what  is  to  come  to  pass,  with- 

foundation  of  the  Tvorld  was  laid,  according  to  liis  eternal  and  immuta- 
ble purpose,  and  the  secret  counsel  and  good  pleasure  of  his  will,  hath 
chosen  in  Christ,  unto  everlasting  glory,  out  of  his  mere  free  grace 
and  love,  without  any  foresight  of  faith  or  ^ooi  ifor/js,  or  persever- 
ance in  either  of  them,  or  any  other  thing  in  the  creature,  as  conditions 
or  causes  moving  him  thereunto,  and  all  to  the  praise  of  his  glorious 
grace.  • 

As  God  hath  appointed  the  elect  unto  glory,  so  hath  he,  by  the  eter- 
nal and  most  free  purpose  of  his  will,  foreordained  oil  the  means 
thereunto.  Wherefore,  they  who  are  elected,  being  fallen  in  Adam, 
are  redeemed  by  Christ,  are  effectually  called  unto  faith  in  Christ,  by 
his  Spirit  working  in  due  season,  are  justified,  adopted,  sanctified,  and 
kept  by  his  power,  through  faith  unto  salvation.  Neither  are  any 
other  redeemed  by  Christ,  effectually  called,  justified,  adopted,  sancti- 
lied  and  saved,  but  the  elect  only. 

The  rest  of  mankind,  God  was  pZeasffi?,  according  to  the  unsearcha- 
ble counsel  of  his  own  will,  whereby  he  extendeth  or  withholdeth 
mercy  as  he  pleaseth,  for  the  glory  of  hissovei'eignpower  over  his  crea- 
tures, to  pass  by  and  to  ordain  them  to  dishonor  and  wrath  for  their 
sin,  to  thcpraise  of  his  glorious  justice. 

The  doctrine  of  this  high  mystery  of  predestination  is  to  be  handled 
with  special  prudence  and  care,  that  men  attending  the  will  of  God 
revealed  in  his  word,  and  yielding  obedience  thereunto,  may,  from  the 
certainty  of  their  effectual  vocation,  be  assured  of  their  eternal  election. 
So  shall  this  doctrine  afford  matter  of pr wise,  reverence  w[\(i  admiral 
Hon  of  God,  and  of  humility,  diligence,  and  abundant  consolation,  to 
all  that  truly  obey  the  gospel."  Compare  this  with  tha  Andover  Con- 
fession. 


G2  THEOLOGY  OF  UNIVERSALTSM. 

out  a  prior  foreordlnatlon  of  what  shall  come  to  pass. 
So  flir,  therefore,  as  it  affects  the  quality  of  goodness, 
it  is  the  same  whether  God,  in  creating,  foreordained 
everlasting  death  as  the  result ;  or  foreknew  that,  if 
he  created,  this  would  certainly  be  the  result. 

Now,  is  it  possible  to  believe,  in  the  goodness  or 
justice  of  a  Being  who,  in  the  act  of  creation,  with- 
out regard  to  moral  character  or  conduct,  says  to 
himself: — '•  These  I  create  and  foreordain  to  a  life  of 
endless  blessedness  ;  and  these  I  create  and  foreor- 
dain to  a  life  of  endless  torment !  And  no  orood  that 
these  can  do  will  save  them  from  the  curse  ;  and  no 
evil  that  those  can  do  will  hinder  their  joy.  It  is  not 
from  any  foresight  of  faith  or  unbelief,  of  good  works 
or  evil  works,  or  any  other  thing  in  them  moving  me 
thereunto,  that  I  foreordain  these  different  conditions  • 
or  destinies,  but  solely  out  of  the  secret  counsel  and 
good  pleasure  of  my  will,  and  as  a  manifestion  of  my 
glory  and  free  grace  !  " 

To  say  nothing  of  the  justice  of  such  a  monstrous 
proceeding,  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  any  sane  mind, 
or  sound  heart,  to  pronounce  such  a  Being  infinitely 
good.  To  say  that  God  has  acted  in  this  way,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  say  that  he  is  good,  is  to  con- 
found all  distinctions  between  good  and  evil,  and  to 
make  the  proof  of  benevolence  and  mercy  to  rest  on 
the  same  acts  which  are  the  strongest  proof  of  cruel- 
ty and  fiendishness. 

No  more  thorough  refutation  of  such  a  theology  can 
be  devised,  than  the  simple  statement  that  God  is  in- 
finitely good.  That  is  a  sufficient  reply,  not  only  to 
the  asserted  foreordination,  but  to  the  possibility  of 
everlastins  death. 


GOD — HIS    ATTRIBUTES,   ETC.  63 

The  only  end  which  an  infinitely  good  Being  could 
propose  to  himself,  as  the  motive  for  creating,  would 
be  simply  the  multiplication  of  intelligent  creatures, 
in  his  own  likeness,  to  become  partakers  of  the  hap- 
piness which  finds  its  fulness  in  him.  He  would  en- 
ter on  the  work  of  creation  only  that  he  might  have 
more  immortal  beings  on  whom  to  pour  out  his  infin- 
ite love,  and  with  whom,  finally  made  equal  unto  the 
angels,  he  might  people  the  heavenly  mansions  —  the 
realms  of  light  and  joy. 

It  is  easy  to  see  how  the  God  of  the  'New  Testa- 
ment, the  God  whom  the  blessed  Saviour  addresses 
as  "  Our  Father,  who  art  in  Heaven,"  should  enter- 
tain such  a  purpose  as  thie  ;  and,  therefore,  create  for 
himself  immortal  spirits,  children  of  his  own,  on 
whom  to  lavish  the  wealth  of  his  infinite  love  ;  final- 
ly gathering  them  around  the  throne  of  his  glory 
that  he  might  rejoice  in  them,  and  they  in  him,  world 
without  end.  Such  purpose  and  action  as  this,  is 
precisely  what  we  should  look  for  in  such  a  divinely 
beneficent  being.  It  would  be  consistent  with  the 
character  of  a  God  who,  by  way  of  emphasis,  is  re- 
peatedly described  and  named  in  the  Gospel  Scrip- 
tures by  the  single  word  "  Xow." 

And  it  is  pleasing  to  turn  back  to  the  Universal- 
ists  of  sixteen  and  seventeen  hundred  years  ago,  and 
find  their  reasoning  on  this  point  in  perfect  accord 
with  our  own.  Clement,  of  Alexandria,  nearly  con- 
temporary with  the  apostle  John,  (a.  d.,  190,)  says : 
— "  The  Lord  is  good  unto  all,  and  delights  in  all. 
Man  is,  indeed,  necessarily  dear  to  God,  because  he 
is  his  own  workmanship.  Other  things  he  made 
only  by  his   order,  but   man  he  formed  by  his  own 


64  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVERSaLISM. 

hand,  and  breathed  into  him  his  distinguishing  proper- 
ties. Now,  whatever  was  created  by  him,  especially 
in  his  own  image,  must  have  been  created  because  it 
was,  in  itself,  desirable  to  God,  or  else  desirable  from 
some  other  consideration.  There  could  be  no  other 
reason  why  God  should  create  him,  than  that  God 
could  not  otherwise  be  a  benevolent  Maker,  nor  his 
glory  be  displayed  to  the  human  race.  There  is 
nothing  that  the  Lord  hates,  for  he  cannot  hate  any 
thing,  and  yet  will  that  it  should  exist ;  nor  can  he 
^vill  that  any  thing  should  not  exist,  and  at  the  same 
time  cause  it  to  exist.  And  if  he  hates  none  of  his 
works,  then  it  is  evident  that  he  loves  them  all,  es- 
pecially man  above  the  rest,  who  is  the  most  excellent 
of  his  creatures  ;  a  being  desirable  to  God,  since  he 
who  cannot  err,  made  him  just  such  as  he  desired  him 
to  be.  Now,  whoever  loves  another,  wishes  to  benefit 
him,  and,  therefore,  God  does  good  unto  all ;  not 
blessing  them  in  some  particulars,  and  neglecting 
them  in  others,  but  carefully  solicitous  for  all  their 
interests."  ^ 

But,  turning  from  this  a  moment,  let  us  approach 
the  subject  from  another  side.  There  are  onW  three 
positions  conceivable,  as  the  purpose  and  end  of  cre- 
ating mankind,  whatever  the  character  or  disposition 
of  the  Creator. 

1.  The  final  misery  of  all. 

2.  The  final  misery  of  a  part,  and  the  final  hap- 
piness of  the  rest. 

3.  The  final  happiness  of  all. 

'  Pcedagog.  Lib.  i.  cap.  3  &  8.  Ancient  History  of  Univcrsalism^ 
chap.  iii.  As  1  shall  frequently  quote  from  the  ancient  fathers  of  our 
faith,  I  may  as  well  say  here,  that  the  quotations  arc  always  from  Dr 
Ballou's  History,  except  when  other  authority  is  given. 


GOD — HIS   ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  65 

One  of  these  must  have  been  the  motive  for  creat- 
ing, the  end  which  God  proposed  to  himself  in  enter- 
ing upon  the  work.  T\iq  first  would  make  him  infi- 
nitely malignant ;  the  second  would  make  him  a  com- 
pound of  good  and  evil,  capricious,  partial,  unjust, 
and  cruel ;  and  the  third  only  makes  him  infinitely- 
benevolent,  and,  as  the  Bible  declares,  "  good  unto 
all,"  and  his  wisdom  "  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits, 
and  without  partiality." 

It  is  idle  to  argue  that  God  is  infinitely  good,  and 
at  the  same  time  affirm  that  he  would  create  an  im- 
mortal being,  knowing  at  the  moment  of  doing  it, 
that  the  existence  he  was  forcing  upon  him,  would 
prove  an  endless  curse  to  him.  To  call  him  good,  in 
such  case,  is  to  use  words  without  sense.  Goodness 
is  not  a  name,  a  mere  title,  but  character,  principle, 
conduct.  As  Dr.  Channing  truly  says  :  "  It  is  very 
possible  to  speak  of  God  magnificently,  and  to  think 
of  him  meanly ;  to  apply  to  his  person  high  sounding 
epithets,  and  to  his  government  principles  which 
make  him  odious."  If  God  deliberately  went  to  the 
work  of  creating  millions  of  intelligent  beings,  with 
the  certain  knowledge  —  we  will  not  say  intention,  or 
purpose  —  but  with  the  certain  knowledge  that  they 
would  in  any  way,  through  any  agency  or  sin  of 
their  own,  fall  into  a  condition  of  endless  wickedness 
and  torment ;  then  he  is  not  infinitely  good,  not  good 
to  them  at  all,  in  any  just  sense  of  the  word. 

And  it  is  of  no  avail  here  to  put  in  the  argument  of 
present  sin  and  evil,  and  say,  "  If  infinite  goodness 
will  not  permit  endless  evil  and  suflPering,  so  by  the 
same  rule  we  should  argue  that  it  would  not  permit 
present  sin  and  evil.     It  does  permit  temporary  evil ; 


i6  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVEESALISM. 

Jiherefore  it  may  permit  endless  evil."  There  is  an 
infinite  difference  in  the  two  cases.  Sin  and  suffering 
for  a  time,  as  a  means,  admit  of  explanation ;  but  sin 
and  suffering  as  final  and  endless,  for  their  own  sake, 
admit  of  no  explanation.* 

It  would  be  just  as  reasonable  to  contend  that,  be- 
cause it  is  consistent  with  the  architect's  plan  to  have 
a  scaffolding  around  the  building  while  in  process  of 
erection,  it  will  be  equally  so  to  keep  it  there  when 
the  building  is  finished  —  or  that  if  it  be  necessary  to 
permit  the  rubbish  to  lie  around  while  the  work  is 
going  on,  it  will  be  necessary  to  leave  it  there  when 
the  work  is  completed.  Many  things  may  be  per- 
mitted as  a  means,  which  could  not  be  sanctioned  as 
an  end.  Many  books  and  charts  may  be  necessary 
while  pursuing  an  education,  which  may  be  thrown 
aside  when  our  education  is  completej 

Besides,  this  argument  proves  too  much,  and  in- 
volves consequences  which  those  who  use  it  cannot 
accept.  The  argument  is  thus  :  God's  goodness  per- 
mits suffering  in  this  world,  therefore  it  may  permit 
it  in  the  next  —  it  does  not  save  sinners  from  present 
temporary  misery,  therefore  it  will  not  save  them  from 
future  endless  misery.  The  same  Love  which  would 
forbid  the  one,  would  forbid  the  other. 

Suppose  we  take  up  this  argument  and  extend  it  as 


1  *•  We  hold  that  though  God  permits  evil,  the  evil  i9  not  regnant,  but 
a  surely  defeated  enemy.  We  hold  that  the  actual  working  powers  of 
God  for  good,  are  regnant  to  overcome  all  evil  in  every  soul,  and  pre- 
sently and  surely  tending  toward  the  destruction  of  all  evil.  We  hold 
that  the  very  sty  of  sin  and  husks  cf  lowest  misery  are  overruled  to 
send  the  prodigal  back  to  God.  The  ideal  personation  of  evil,  Satan 
or  Devil,  is  forced  to  speak  etfectively  for  God,  and  so  God  reigns  to 
redeem  every  soul.**     Christian  Examiner,  March,  1861. 


GOD  —  HIS  ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  67 

follows  :  God  permits  the  righteous  to  be  afflicted  and 
to  suffer  in  this  world  ;  therefore  he  will  permit  them 
to  be  afflicted  and  to  suffer  in  the  next  world.  The 
same  Love,  the  same  Justice,  which  would  forbid  the 
one,  would  forbid  the  other.  If  his  benevolence  would 
lead  him  to  deliver  them  hereafter,  the  same  benevo- 
lence would  lead  him  to  deliver  them  here  —  he  does 
not  deliver  them  here ;  therefore  he  will  not  deliver 
thorn  hereafter  ;  and  their  misery  must  be  endless. 

But  again  :  All  who  are  not  saved  now,  never  will 
be  saved ;  for  if  infinite  goodness  can  consistently 
leave  them  unsaved  to  day,  it  can  with  equal  consis- 
tency leave  them  unsaved  to-morrow,  and  next  day, 
and  forever.  You  cannot  argue  from  the  Love  of  God 
for  the  conversion  and  salvation  of  a  single  soul  now 
unconverted,  because  the  same  Love  would  necessitate 
its  conversion  and  salvation  now,  this  very  moment ! 

The  absurdity  of  such  reasoning  is  apparent  with- 
out an  elaborate  exposure  of  its  illogical  and  unphilo- 
sophical  character,  God  of  course  has  established  the 
world,  created  man,  and  determined  his  present  and 
future  condition,  according  to  a  fixed  plan,  embracing 
not  only  a  clearly  defined  end,  but  all  the  means 
necessary  to  that  end.  He  does  not  do  everything  at 
once.  He  does  not  design  to  save  all  at  once  by  a 
miracle ;  but  gradually  by  appointed  agencies,  and  ac- 
cording to  the  laws  of  their  spiritual  nature.  Each 
day  has  its  specific  work,  each  event  its  special  mean- 
ing ;  and  these  stand  related  not  only  to  the  present, 
but  to  the  future  ;  links  in  the  great  chain  of  being, 
whose  end  is  fastened  at  the  throne  of  God.  We  can 
only  judge  of  the  unfinished  parts,  when  we  come  to 
gee  the  finished  whole.     And  that  the  finished  whole 


6S  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVEESALISM. 

embraces  the  good  of  all  created  intelligences,  is,  as 
we  have  shown,  a  necessary  and  unavoidable  deduc- 
tion from  the  acknowledged  fact,  that  he  who  created 
is  himself  Infinite  Goodness  ! 

Neither  can  any  argument  against  this  grand  con- 
summation of  universal  beatitude,  be  set  up  on  the 
ground  of  man's  unbelief  and  sin  ;  "  For  God  hath 
concluded  them  all  in  unbelief,  that  he  might  have 
mercy  upon  all."  Eom.  xi.  In  his  impartial  good- 
ness he  counts  all  in  unbelief,  only  that  he  may  have 
mercy  on  alL  Hence  also  it  is  written,  that  "  where 
sin  abounded,  grace  did  much  more  abound ;  that  as 
sin  hath  reigned  unto  death,  even  so  might  grace 
reign  through  righteousness  unto  eternal  life  by  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord."  Eom.  v.  However  far,  therefore, 
sin  and  its  consequences  may  abound,  Divine  Grace 
and  Goodness  are  to  abound  over  and  beyond  all, 
through  "  the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world."  John  i.  29.  The  sin  of  man  is 
not  too  great  for  the  goodness  of  God  to  overcome. 
Its  nature  is  to  endure,  and  forgive,  and  weary  out 
the  heart  of  sin  and  wickedness  by  its  patient,  long- 
suffering,  infinite  tenderness.  And  so  it  becomes  ex- 
ample, precept,  and  exhortation  to  us,  that  we  may 
be  "  followers  of  God  as  dear  children."  Eph.  iv. 
32  ;  V.  1. 

And  this  brings  us  to  another  important  point  in 
the  discussion,  worthy  of  profound  thought  and 
study.  If  the  goodness  of  God  be  not  of  the  nature 
and  power  here  set  forth,  if  it  do  not  embrace  the  con- 
version, purification,  and  final  welfare  of  his  sinful  and 
rebellious  children,  how  are  we  to  interpret  such 
teachings  as  the  following  ;     "  I  say  unto  you,  love 


GOD  —  HIS   ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  C9 

your  enemies,  do  good  to  them  wliicli  hate  you,  bless 
them  that  curse  you,  and  pray  for  them  which  de- 

spitefully  use  you For  if  ye  love  them  which 

love  you,  what  thank  have  ye  ?  for  sinners  also  love 
those  that  love  them.  And  if  ye  do  good  to  them 
which  do  good  to  you,  what  thank  have  ye  ?  for  sin- 
ners also  do  even  the  same.  .  .  .  But  love  your  en- 
emies, and  do  good,  and  your  reward  shall  be  great, 
and  ye  shall  be  the  children  of  the  Highest ;  for  he  is 
kind  to  the  unthankful  and  to  the  cviL  Be  ye  therefore 
merciful,  as  your  Father  also  is  merciful."     Luke  vi. 

Is  it  possible  to  believe  that  God  expects  greater 
goodness  and  mercy  in  us  than  he  himself  possesses  ? 
"VYould  he  command  us,  poor,  frail,  tempted  mortals, 
to  love  our  enemies,  when  he  has  not  the  moral 
courage  to  do  it  himself?  Can  any  Christian  sup- 
pose for  a  moment  that  God  would  command  us  to 
bless  and  do  good  to  those  who  hate  us,  when  he 
means  eternally  to  curse  and  do  evil  to  those  who 
hate  him  ?  Why  should  he  expect  us  to  be  so  much 
more  generous,  and  merciful  and  sublime,  than  he  is 
himself?  And  if  we  say  that  he  loves  only  those 
who  love  him  —  if  we  say  he  will  hate  his  enemies, 
and  curse  those  who  curse  him,  do  we  not  put  him 
on  a  level  with  sinners,  "  who  also  do  even  the 
same  ?" 

But  why  ask  these  questions  ?  God  is,  and  does, 
all  and  infinitely  more  than  he  asks  us  to  be  or  to  do. 
The  very  language  of  the  passage  cited  shows  this. 
By  loving  our  enemies  and  doing  good  to  those  who 
hate  us,  we  are  said  to  become  children  of  the  High- 
est, to  be  like  God ;  we  are  said  to  be  merciful  as 
our  Father  in  heaven  is  merciful.     He  furnishes  us 


70  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

the  example  in  his  goodness  and  forgiveness  towards 
us,  and  calls  upon  us  to  follow  it  in  our  feeling  and 
conduct  towards  each  other.  So,  therefore,  if  in 
loving  our  enemies,  and  blessing  those  who  curse  us, 
we  are  like  God,  he  will  do  the  same  ;  and  his  in- 
finite and  everlasting  goodness  will  reveal  its  power 
in  subduing  all  enmity,  in  purifying  all  hearts  from 
sin,  and  restoring  the  whole  family  of  man  to  holiness 
and  happiness. 

SECTION    V. 

THE    JUSTICE    OF    GOD— -WHAT    IT  IS   AND    WHAT    IT    DEMANDS. 

No  attribute  of  the  Divine  character  has  led  to  so 
much  vague  thinking  and  reasoning  as  that  of  Justice. 
And  perhaps  in  its  human  definitions  and  applications, 
it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  word  more  generally 
misunderstood  and  misapplied.  Lexicographers  give 
to  it  meanings,  judicial  authorities  state  its  duties  and 
demands,  and  theologians  assign  to  it  principles  and 
aims,  than  which  nothing  could  be  farther  from  its 
nature  and  office.  Retribution,  in  the  sense  of  retali- 
ation, of  so  much  pain  for  so  much  wrong,  vindictive 
punishment,  evil  for  evil,  are  elements  entering  large- 
ly into  the  popular,  the  judicial,  and  the  theological 
thought  on  this  subject.^ 

*  The  English  Imperixil  Dictionary,  Webster,  and  others,  give  as  one 
definition  of  Justice,  ''vindictive  retribution;"  and  define  *' vindic- 
tive" to  ha  ^*  revengeful,  given  to  revenge.''''  Bellamy  takes  up  the 
point  with  a  manifest  relish:  "  Vindictive  justice  is  a  glorious  and 
amiable  perfection  of  the  Deity.  The  ejection  of  the  sinning  angels  out 
of  heaven  down  to  eternal  darkness  and  despair,  turning  our  first  pa- 
rents out  of  paradise,  and  dooming  them  and  all  their  race  to  death, 
and  the  final  sentence  to  be  passed  on  apostate  angels  and  apostate  men., 
at  the  day  of  judgement,  arc  all  perfect  in  beauty.    The  divine  char- 


<iOD~niS    ATTRIBUTES,    ETC  ?1 

The  leading  Church  treatises  on  the  death  oi 
Christ,  and  on  the  character  and  purpose  of  the  atone- 
ment, are  based  on  these  views  of  the  nature  of  Jus- 
tice as  one  of  the  perfections  of  the  Deity,  And  all 
the  forces  of  argument  and  of  learning,  all  the  aids  of 
tradition  and  heuthen  mythology,  are  to  day  sum- 
moned to  the  work  of  proving  that  Christ  died  upon 
the  cross  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  Divine  Justice, 
and  release  man  from  the  punishment  of  his  sins.  It 
is  affirmed  that  he  suffered  the  wrath  of  Ood,  as  the 
substitute  of  mankind ;  endured  in  his  own  person  the 
<curse  of  the  law,  which  is  defined  to  be  endless  pun- 
ishment for  each  and  every  sin  committed  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world. 

The  latest  and  most  approved  defence  of  Church 
doctrines  against  the  attacks  of  Eationalism,  so  called, 
presents  the  matter  in  this  form  :  "  God  the  Father 
laid  upon  his  Son  the  weight  of  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world,  so  that  he  bare  in  his  own  body  the  wrath 
which  men  must  else  have  borne,  because  there  was 

acter,  as  exhibited  to  view  in  these  facts,  is  altogether  glorious  j  for  it  is 
a  glorious-thing  in  God  thus  to  punish  sin  according  to  its  desert. 
Therefore, 

It  can  be  owing  to  nothing  but  criminal  blindness,  to  the  spirit  of  a 
rebel,  of  an  enemy,  in  any  of  God's  subjects,  that  the  glory  of  his  char- 
acter, as  thus  exhibited,  does  not  shine  into  their  hearts And, 

therefore,  no  sooner  is  a  sinner  renewed  by  the  I'egeneratiug  influences 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  he  begins  to  see  the  beauty  of  vindictive  justice. 
The  law,  as  a  ministration  of  death,  now  begins  to  appear  glorious  ; 
for  now  he  begins  to  see  things  as  they  be.  For  now  his  eyes  are 
opened And  vindictive  justice  being  a  glorious  and  amiable  per- 
fection, it  was  a  glorious  and  amiable  thing  in  God  to  bruise  Christ, 
and  put  his  soul  to  grief,  who  had  espoused  our  cause,  and  appeared 
as  our  representative." — Essay  on  the  JVature  and  Glory  of  the  Gos- 
pel  of  Jesus  Christ,  ^c.  By  Joseph  Bellamy,  D,  D.,  pp.  127-130. 
Edit.  1795. 


72  THEOLOGY   OF  UN  I VEE  SAL  ISM. 

no  other  way  of  escape  for  them ;  and  thus  the 
Atonement  was  a  manifestation  of  Divine  Justice." 
**  Jesus  did  sniFer  all  these  things  which  are  the  evi- 
dent tokens  of  wrath  against  bs  .  , .  .  and  when  all 
the  vials  of  wrath  were  poured  out  upon  his  head, 
and  when  he  did  not  shrink  from  receiving  them,  it  is 
idle  to  discuss  whether  this  shall  be  called  wrath  or 
love  ;  when  he  smarted  under  all  that  we  cull  punish- 
ment, it  is  idle  to  say  that  it  must  have  another  name."' 
*'  He  who  alone  was  no  child  of  wrath y  meets  the 
shock  of  the  thunderstorm  of  Divine  wrath  ^  becomes  a 
curse  for  us,  and  a  vessel  of  wrath,"  "^  The  clouds  of 
God's  anger  gathered  thick  over  the  whole  humaa 
race  ;  they  discharged  themselves  on  Jesus  only.^ 

If  these  representations  of  Divine  Justice  be  correct . 
and  Scriptural,  they  cannot   fail  to   suggest  to  the 
thoughtful  student  and  inquirer  such  questions  as  fol- 
low: 

1.  Can  justice  be  satisfied  without  its  demands  are 
answered  ?  with  what  it  does  not  require  nor  wish  ? 
The  theology  in  review  says  it  will  ^—  says  it  will  not 
only  be  satisfied  with  what  it  does  not  demand,  but 
with  the  very  opposite  of  this.  It  demands  the  pun- 
ishment of  the  guilty,  but  will  be  satisfied  with  the 
punishnaent  of  the  innocent.  It  demands  the  endless 
suffering  of  all  men  for  their  sins,  but  will  be  satisfied 
with  the  infinite  suffering  of  Christ,  who  never  sinned. 
Nay,  God  proposes  this  arrangement,  prefers  it,  in 
order  that  the  guilty  may  escape  ! 

1  Aids  to  Faith,  Essay  viii.,  on  "  The  Death  of  Christ.'*  The  whole 
animus  of  the  essay  is  to  prove  the  vicarious  character  of  Christ's  death, 
that  he  suflFered  to  satisfy  Divine  Justice,  and  release  the  guilty  world 
from  the  punishment  due  its  sins. 


GOD  —  HIS   ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  78 

Tins  arrangement  completed,  it  is  said,  that  those 
believing  in  Christ  will  be  saved  ;  those  not  believing 
will  be  damned.  How  do  we  know  this  ?  Justice 
has  once  been  satisfied  without  its  claims  being  met, 
why  not  again  ?  If  it  has  once  punished  the  innocent, 
and  cleared  the  guilty,  why  not  a  second  time  ?  Why 
not  always  ?  If  the  divine  government  be  adminis- 
tered on  this  principle,  for  aught  that  can  be  shown 
to  the  contrary,  unbelievers  may  yet  go  to  heaven, 
and  believers  to  hell. 

2.  If  Christ  really  and  truly  suffered  the  punish- 
ment due  the  world,  by  what  law,  by  what  interpre- 
tation of  justice,  is  the  punishment  inflicted  a  second 
time  ?  It  is  not  to  the  point  to  say,  that  the  penalty 
of  the  law  was  endured  by  Christ  on  condition  that 
the  guilty  should  accept  the  terms  of  deliverance,  be- 
fore they  could  avail  themselves  of  the  release. 

The  question  is  reduced  to  this  simple  statement — 
Christ  either  did  satisfy  the  claims  of  justice  by  his 
death,  or  he  did  not.  If  he  did.,  then  justice  has  no 
further  claim,  has  nothing  to  say  on  the  matter  of 
punishment.  It  has  received  all  it  is  entitled  to,  and 
it  has  virtually  given  a  quit  claim  to  all  mankind.^ 
But  if  he  did  not  satisfy  the  demands  of  divine  jus- 
tice, then  confessedly  his  death  ends  in  failure,  and 
the  question  is  still  open  for  settlement. 

But  in  order  to  reach  the  stand  point  from  which 
the  whole  question  of  Justice,  its  nature  and  demands, 

1  To  this  point  see  Article  xxxi.  of  the  Episcopal  Church  ;  "  The 
offering  of  Christ  once  made  is  that  perfect  redemption,  propitiation, 
and  satisfaction  for  all  the  sins  of  the  whole  world  both  original  and 
actual,"  &c. 


74  THEOLOGY   OF  UNIVERSALISM. 

may  be  clearly  seen  and  understood,  let  us  begin  by 
inquiring, — 

§  I.  What  is  Justice  f  What  does  it  demand  f 
Let  us  first  attempt  a  definition  which,  simple  and  in- 
telligible, and  free  from  all  metaphysical  niceties,  shall 
yet  cover  the  whole  ground  of  essence  and  office. 
The  following  will  perhaps  meet  the  case  : 

Justice  is  the  principle  which  seeks  always  to  main- 
tain the  Highty  and  to  make  right  whatsoever  is 
wrong. 

At  the  bottom  this  is  all  —  everything  else  rests  on 
this,  whether  pains,  penalties,  punishments  or  restora- 
tions. They  are  only  phases  of  this  leading  thought, 
agencies  for  accomplishing  this  chief  end  and  aim. 
Let  us  then  note  a  few  facts  here. 

1.  Justice  does  not  demand  pain  for  the  sake  of 
pain.  It  always  looks  beyond  this,  and  aims  at  some- 
thing else.  Pain  or  punishment  is  an  agent  employ- 
ed with  a  view  to  correct  what  is  wrong  ;  to  expel 
the  evil,  as  medicine  is  used  to  expel  the  disease. 

2.  Justice  does  not  demand  a  fixed  measure  of 
pain  for  all  wrong  or  sin,  which  must  be  suffered  by 
some  one,  either  the  guilty  or  a  substitute  —  indiffer- 
ent which,  so  long  as  it  is  suffered,  so  long  as  so 
nmch  punishment  follows  so  much  sin.^ 

3.  Justice  does  not  demand  that  the  sinner  must 
suffer  just  as  much  w^rong   as  he   has  inflicted  —  be- 

1  "  Jesus  dies  to  bear  a  doom  laid  on  him  of  necessity,  because  some 
one  viust  bear  it."  Aids  to  Faith,  p.  378.  What  should  we  say  of  a 
government  which,  because  a  murder  had  been  committed,  should  put 
to  death  an  innocent  person,  on  the  ground  that,  as  some  one  had  com- 
mitted a  murder,  some  one  must  be  executed  in  order  to  vindicate  the 
majesty  of  the  law  ! 


GOD  —  HIS  ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  75 

cause  two  wrongs  do  not  make  one  right.  If  you 
burn  my  house,  it  will  not  rebuild  it  to  burn  yours. 
The  thing  justice  requires  is  that  my  house  should  bo 
re-built,  and  I  placed  where  I  was  before  you  fired 
it,  compensated  by  you  for  all  my  loss  and  incon- 
venience. Burning  your  house  and  subjecting  you 
to  the  same  loss  and  discomfort,  will  not  do  the  least 
thing  toward  it.  If  I  am  angry  and  revengeful  to- 
ward you,  it  may  gratify  my  revenge  to  see  you  paid 
in  the  same  coin  ;  but  it  will  not  be  justice,  which 
demands  that  ail  wrong  shall  be  made  right,  and  that 
your  feelings  toward  me  shall  be  so  changed  as  to  se- 
cure me  from  a  repetition  of  the  wrong. 

The  old  law,  an  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a 
tooth,  was  not  justice,  but  revenge.  If  A  destroys  an 
eye  of  B,  it  will  not  restore  B's  eye  to  destroy  one  of 
A's — ^it  only  doubles  the  loss  or  injury.  B  cannot  see 
any  better  because  his  enemy  sees  worse.  It  is  on 
this  ground  that  Christ  repudiates  the  evil  for  evil 
practices  of  his  age,  and  initiates  the  beautiful  law  of 
good  for  evil,  with  a  view  to  the  correction  of  the 
evil ;  asserting  at  the  same  time  that  this  is  the  rule 
of  the  divine  government  and  action  — "  that  ye  may 
be  like  your  Father  in  heaven." 

Let  us  now  look  at  Justice  in  its  theological  bear- 
ings, as  connected  with  the  punishment  of  sin. 

All  agree  that  sin  is  a  wrong,  a  great  wrong.  This 
being  so,  what  has  justice  to  do  in  the  case  ?  what 
are  its  demands  ?  what  will  satisfy  them  ?  We  are 
told  that  if  the  Avrong  be  not  righted  within  a  speci- 
fied time,  justice  will  be  satisfied  to  increase  the  wrong 
infinitely,  and  perpetuate  it  to  all  eternity  !  Can 
anything  be  more  unjust  than  such  justice  ? 


'76  THEOLOGY  OF  UNI  VERS  ALISM. 

The  divine  law  requires  us  to  do  right  —  we  dis- 
obey and  do  wrong.  Here  is  the  sin,  and  at  this 
point,  justice  enters  and  promptly  demands  repara- 
tion—  not  mere  suffering,  but  reparation  —  demands 
that  the  sin  shall  cease,  that  the  wrong  shall  be 
made  right.  And  how  is  this  to  be  done  ?  There  is 
only  one  way  of  doing  it ;  and  that  is  by  saving  the 
sinner  from  his  sins  ;  correcting,  restoring  the  trans- 
gressor, and  putting  an  end  to  his  wickedness  and 
the  injury  he  is  doing. 

If  you  refuse  food  to  your 'hungry  brother  to-day, 
it  will  not  feed  him  to  keep  you  hungry  to-morrow. 
But,  if  by  keeping  you  hungiy  to-morrow,  you  are 
made  to  suffer  something  of  the  knawing  pain  of 
starvation,  and  so  repent  of  the  wrong  done  your  poor 
brother,  and  feed  him  next  day  and  ever  after  when 
he  is  in  need — then  justice  sanctions  the  pain  inflicted 
on  you,  and  rejoices  in  the  removal  of  your  evil  heart, 
and  your  restoration  to  obedience  to  the  law  of  love 
and  duty. 

Nothing,  therefore,  can  be  more  contrary  to  the 
very  essence  of  justice,  than  the  doctrine  that  it  re- 
quires obedience  and  righteousness  here  ;  but  if  it 
cannot  have  these,  it  will  be  satisfied  with  endless 
disobedience  and  sin  hereafter  as  a  substitute. 
Strange  justice  is  this,  to  compensate  the  loss  of  right 
by  an  infinitely  greater  wrong — to  undertake  to  cor- 
rect the  evil  of  present  sin,  by  adding  to  it  the  evil  of 
endless  sin  and  woe  conjoined. 

Suppose  all  the  great  powers  of  Europe  should 
unite  in  a  protest  against  slavery  in  this  country,  on 
the  ground  that  it  was  a  great  moral  wrong,  a  mon- 
strous wickedness  and  cruelty  against  its   victims  — 


GOD  —  HtS   ATTRIBUTES,   ETC.  77 

and  at  the  close  should  announce  that,  unless  we 
speedily  abolished  the  evil,  they  would  free  the 
blacks  and  reduce  the  whole  white  population  to 
slavery.  Would  this  help  the  matter  ?  Not  at  all. 
It  would  only  be  increasing  the  evil  ten-fold,  instead 
of  correctinor  or  abolishins;  it. 

It  may  be  answered,  that  it  would  nevertheless  be 
a  just  retribution,  what  they  richly  deserve ;  but 
that  would  not  remove  the  difficulty*  It  would  not 
be  an  abolition  of  slavery,  which  is  the  real  injustice, 
but  only  a  shifting  of  the  curse  from  one  class  to  an- 
other. The  simple  truth  is,  that  slavery  is  wrong, 
and  the  only  thing  for  justice  to  do,  is  to  put  an  end 
to  it  altogether  ;  and  not  to  do  as  much  wrong,  or  a 
hundred  fold  more,  to  the  authors  of  the  wrong  than 
they  have  done  to  its  victims. 

So  it  is  exactly  with  all  sin,  whatever  its  character 
or  direction.  Justice  demands  simply  that  it  shall 
come  to  an  end,  and  it  will  be  satisfied  with  nothing 
but  this.  There  is  no  substitute  possible.  It  knows 
well  enough  that  if  sin  be  an  evil  in  this  world,  it 
will  not  help  the  matter  to  make  it  endless  in  the 
next  world. 

The  sum  of  its  demands  and  claims  is  this,  and  this 
only — that  all  wrong  shall  give  place  to  right,  all  sin 
shall  be  destroyed,  and  all  evil  end  in  good.  For 
this  it  labors  continually,  and  will,  till  the  end  is 
reached.  .Whatever  pains,  penalties  or  punishments 
are  needful  to  this  end,  it  will  employ  ;  and,  through 
all,  mercy  stands  at  her  side  with  encouraging  aid. 
Neither  will  abandon  the  work  till  it  is  finished  ;  till 
sin  and  death  are  destroyed,  and  everlasting  life  and 
righteousness  brought  in. 


78  THEOLOGY  OF  UNIVERSALISM. 

Justice  and  Mercy  are  not  opposed.  God  is  not  at 
war  with  himself.  One  attribute  does  not  demand 
what  another  refuses.  Justice  asks  for  nothing  hut 
what  is  rights  and  mercy  ashs  for  nothing  that  is 
wrong.  Eevenge  may  demand  suffering  for  its  own 
sake,  but  justice  demands  only  righteousness  ;  and  ia 
satisfied  when  all  things  are  re-adjusted  in  their  orig- 
inal position,  and  universal  right  prevails. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  thought  that  the  above  argu- 
ment does  not  sufficiently  consider  the  injury  which 
sin  inflicts  on  others  —  as  for  example,  the  crime  of 
murder,  where  not  only  life  is  taken,  but  incalculable 
suffering  and  anguish  sent  into  the  hearts  of  all  the 
survivors. 

Ought  not  the  murderer  to  be  punished  for  all  this, 
and  made  in  justice  to  suffer  something  of  the  misery 
which  his  guilt  has  brought  upon  the  innocent? 

Of  course  he  is  to  be  punished  — but  why?  for 
what  purpose  ?  Let  us  be  careful  that  we  do  not 
confound  Justice  with  Eevenofc.  What  do  we  want 
to  accomplish  by  his  punishment  ?  Suppose  we  hang 
him — that  does  not  bring  his  victim  to  life.  Sup- 
pose we  roast  him  over  a  slow  fire,  or  stretch  him 
upon  the  rack,  and  tear  his  nerves,  and  break  his  bones 
one  by  one,  and  gradually  rend  his  quivering  body 
into  fragments,  while  the  family  and  relatives  of  the 
murdered  man  stand  looking  en.  Will  that  restore 
the  dead  ?  will  it  comfort  the  living  ?  will^  they  now 
go  home  feeling  that  all  is  right,  that  Justice  is  satis- 
fied —  that  they  themselves  are  satisfied  ?  If  not, 
what  is  the  thing  accomplished  by  his  suffering  ?  what 
is  tlie  thing  intended  to  be  accomplished  by  it  ? 

It  may  be  said,  that  he  ought  to  suffer  as  a  crim- 


GOD  —  HIS  ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  79 

inal ;  that  our  sense  of  justice  demands  tliat  he  who 
inflicts  evil  on  others  without  cause,  should  be  made 
to  endure  in  proportion  to  the  injury  he  inflicts.  But 
is  it  our  sense  of  justice,  or  our  desire  to  retaliate,  our 
love  of  revenge,  which  says  this  ?  Besides,  does  not 
Christ  set  this  matter  right,  in  either  case  ;  whether 
it  be  justice  or  revenge  we  seek  ?  "  Ye  have  heard 
that  it  hath  been  said,  an  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth 
for  a  tooth  ;  but  I  say  unto  you,  Eesist  not  evil,"  i.  e. 
with  evil.  Is  this  justice  toward  the  transgressor  ? 
It  may  not  be  our  idea  of  justice,  but  it  is  the  justice 
and  the  law  of  Christ — and  he  is  a  safer  teacher  than 
our  anger  or  our  hatred. 

But  transfer  this  now  to  the  sphere  of  divine  justice 
and  punishment,  and  to  the  future  life.  Suppose  you 
send  this  criminal  to  hell,  and  subject  him  to  the  most 
awful  tortures  infinite  knowledge  and  power  can  de- 
vise, and  protract  them  through  all  eternity.  This  is 
the  demand  of  absolute  justice,  we  are  told — but  what 
is  the  thing  aimed  at  now  ?  What  is  to  be  gained  ? 
what  reparation  is  there  here  ?  Plow  does  this  recti- 
fy the  wrong  that  has  been  done  ?  Does  this  endless 
torment  restore  the  murdered  man  to  his  family,  and 
repair  the  injury  inflicted  on  him  and  on  them  ?  Is  it 
a  satisfactory  equivalent  for  what  they  have  suflered  ? 
Does  it  make  their  life  on  earth  —  does  it  make  Ms 
Kfe  in  heaven,  any  happier,  to  know  that  the  guilty 
wretch  who  did  them  wrong  is  in  hell  ?  Do  Chris- 
tians on  earth  —  do  the  sanctified  spirits  of  heaven, 
demand  of  the  justice  of  God  that  those  who  have  in- 
jured them,  that  all  sinners,  shall  suffer  the  torments 
of  an  endless  hell  ? 

No  human  being,  however  much  he  may  have  been 


80  TnEOLOGY  OF  UNIVERSALISM. 

wronged,  however  fierce  his  desire  for  revenge,  ever 
asked  for  so  terrible  a  thing  as  this.  And  if  they 
who  have  suffered  from  sin,  if  the  injured  wife  of  a 
drunken  husband,  if  the  unhappy  subject  of  slander 
or  oppression,  if  the  crushed  and  mangled  slave,  if 
the  victim  of  the  murderer,  and  his  unhappy  family 
—  if  these,  who  have  suffered  so  much  from  the  sin, 
do  not  demand  endless  torment,  why  should  God, 
who  has  suffered  nothing,  demand  it,  and  call  it  jus- 
tice ? 

So  far  from  demanding  this,  the  Bible  everywhere 
declares  that  God  will  render  a  just  recompense  to 
the  transgressor,  that  he  will  punish  sinners  accords 
ing  to  their  sins,  will  reward  every  man  according  to 
his  works. ^ 

And  infinite  woe  is  not  according  to  finite  sin.  If 
a  sin  were  to  reach  in  its  consequences  every  inhabit- 
ant of  earth,  yet  there  would  be  a  limit  to  the  num- 
ber injured.  If  it  were  to  blast  the  happiness  of  the 
whole  race  through  every  year  and  moment  of  their 
life  on  earth,  still  there  would  be  a  limit  in  time  as 
well  as  in  numbers.  Count,  therefore,  the  evil  of 
sin  as  you  will,  it  cannot  be  added  up  to  the  infinite, 
either  in  quantity,  quality  or  time  ;  and  if  not,  then 
infinite  endless  punishment  is  not  according  to  the 
transgression  —  and  Justice,  therefore,  which  de- 
mands equity  and  fair  dealing,  repudiates  it,  and  calls 
for  a  punishment  proportionate  to  the  wrong.^ 

iMatt.  xvi.  27.  Eom.  ii.  6.  2  Tim.  iv.  14.  Ecv.  ii.  23,  xx.  12,  xxii. 
12.  See  also  Psalm  Ixii.  12.  Prov,  xxiv.  12,  29.  Jer.  1.  29.  Ilosea, 
xii.  2,  &c. 

2  Let  us  suppose  a  case  that  we  may  see  how  little  the  doctrine  of  end- 
less punishment  has  to  do  with  the  just  recompense  of  sin.     A  lives  a 


GOD  —  HIS  ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  8l 

But  what  is  this  punishment  proportionate  to  the 
wrong  I  What  do  the  Scriptures  mean  by  reward-* 
ing  every  one  according  to  his  works  ?  We  have  al- 
ready said  that  Justice  does  not  demand  so  much  pain 
for  so  much  sin,  without  regard  to  circum«t:^ces. 
Even  human  Justice  considers  the  difference  of  con- 
dition, temptation  and  guilt ;  and  that  where  the  out- 
ward transgression  is  the  same.  Hence  the  difference 
which  the  law  makes  in  klllina:^  between  murder  and 
manslaughter,  and  the  several  degrees  of  manslaugh- 
ter ;  and  the  sliding  scale  of  punishment  for  the  same 
crime,  from  months  to  years  of  imprisonment  ;  and 
the  pardoning  power  granted  to  the  executive  to  cor- 
rect mistakes,  and  release  those  on  whom  punishment 
has  done  the  desired  work  of  reformation. 

So  the  Divine  Justice  adapts  its  punishment  to  the 

life  of  sin  and  crime  for  49  years  and  3C4  days,  and  on  the  following 
day  repents,  dies,  and  goes  to  heaven.  B  lives  a  life  of  virtue  and 
goodness  for  49  years  and  364  days,  commits  a  crime  on  the  following 
day,  dies  and  goes  to  hell !  One  with  fifty  years  of  goodness,  less  one 
day,  is  punished  with  endless  torment ;  the  other  with  fifty  years  of  wick- 
edness, less  one  day,  is  rewarded  with  endless  blessedness  !  Now  if  the 
first  is  punished  for  one  sin  through  all  eternity,  how  long,  on  the  score 
of  Justice,  ought  the  other  to  be  punished  for  fifty  years  of  sin.  And 
if  Justice  bestows  heaven  on  the  one  good  act  of  late  and  selfish  repen- 
tance, what  ought  it  to  bestow  on  fifty  years  of  good  actions,  done  for 
their  own  sake? 

Again:  AandB  are  equally  sinners— they  quarrel,  and  A  murders  B. 
—of  course  B  goes  to  hell— but  A,  through  the  labors  of  good  men,  re- 
pents, is  hung,  and  goes  to  heaven.  In  this  case  the  criminal  gets  to 
paradise  by  the  lucky  chance  of  being  the  murderer  instead  of  the  mur- 
dered. If  his  victim  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  strike  the  fital  blow 
he  would  have  changed  places  with  him;  and  so  the  eternal  destiny  of 
each  would  have  been  reversed  by  the  chance  blow  of  a  street  fight! 
And  is  this  justice —  Divine  Justice  ?  Is  it  on  such  grounds  it  dis- 
tributes its  rewards  and  punishments  ?  What  must  be  the  moral  influ- 
ence of  such  a  doctrine  ? 


82  THEOLOGY  OF  UXIVERSALISM. 

condition  and  needs  of  the  offender,  measuring  them 
so  exactly  to  the  purpose  aimed  at,  that  no  mistakes 
are  ever  made  here.  The  sinner  is  rewarded  accord- 
mff  to  his  works,  as  the  sick  man  is  treated  according 
to  his  disease.  The  skilful  physician,  as  he  sees  the 
case  requires,  administers  sometimes  more  and  some- 
times less  medicine  ;  and  so  the  wise  judge  inflicts 
sometimes  ten  stripes,  and  sometimes  five,  for  the 
same  offence,  according  to  the  moral  condition,  the 
degree  of  hardness  or  depravity  of  the  oiFender. 

Whatever  medicine  is  necessary  to  repair  the  inju- 
ry caused  by  the  disease,  the  sick  man  must  take  ; 
whatever  punishment  is  necessary  to  repair  the  injury 
caused  by  sin,  the  wicked  m.an  must  suffer.  Both 
must  bear  the  penalty,  as  a  warning  to  tliemselves 
and  others,  to  be  henceforth  obedient  to  the  law. 
The  penalty  is  simply  the  method  which  Justice  takes 
to  reinstate  all  things  in  their  orighial  position,  and 
keep  them  there  ;  to  vindicate  the  righteousness  of 
the  law,  and  the  reason  and  necessity  of  obedience. 

And  this  is  precisely  the  definition  of  Justice 
which  Clemens  Alexandrinus,  a  learned  Universalist 
Father,  gave  nearly  seventeen  hundred  years  ago, 
A.  D.,  190.  "  Justice,"  says  he,  "  is,  in  itself, 
nothinn*  but  goodness  ;  for  it  rewards  the  virtuous, 
and  seeks  the  improvement  of  the  sinful.  It  is  the 
office  of  salutary  justice,  continually  to  exalt  every 
thing  towards  the  best  state  of  which  it  is  capable. 
Inferior  things  are  adapted  to  promote  and  confirm 
the  salvation  of  that  which  is  most  excellent ;  and 
thus  whatever  in  '-nidued  with  any  virtue,  is  forthwith 
etill  changed  fo>'  the  better,  through  the  liberty  of 
ohoicc  which  th"  mind  has   in  its  power.     And  the 


GOD — HIS  ATTIUCUTES,  ETC.  83 

necessary  cliastlscmcnts  of  the  great  Judge,  who 
regards  all  with  benignity,  make  mankind  grieve  for 
their  sins  and  imperfections,  and  advance  them  through 
the  various  states  of  discipline  to  perfection.  Even 
God's  wrath,  if  so  his  admonitions  may  be  called,  is 
full  of  benevolence  towards  the  human  race  ;  for 
whose  sake  the  Word  of  God  was  made  man."  ^ 

And  with  this  agrees  Origen,  one  of  the  greatest 
scholars,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
Universalists,  of  the  Ancient  Church,  A.  D.  230.  He 
says,  "  Justice  is  Goodness  ....  and  when  they  al- 
lege that  God,  who  rewards  every  one  according  to 
his  deserts,  renders  evil  to  the  evil,  let  them  not  con- 
ceal the  principle  (on  which  this  is  done) — that  as 
the  sick  must  be  cured  by  harsh  medicines,  so  God 
administers,  for  the  purpose  of  emendation,  what  for 
the  present  is  productive  of  pain."  ^ 

Thus  the  Justice  of  God,  in  its  absolute  character, 
and  in  its  relative  object  and  end,  furnishes  one  of  the 
most  conclusive  and  unanswerable  aro'uments  for  the 
final  destruction  of  evil,  and  the  restoration  of  moral 
order,  for  universal  holiness  and  salvation.  Its  per- 
petual demand  is,  "  Do  right — abolish  wrong — obey 
the  law,  or  suffer  the  penalty  till  you  do  obey — an 
end  of  sin  and  of  all  evil,  and  the  universal  and 
everlasting  reign  of  Eighteousness — this  only  will 
satisfy  my  claims   on  mankind,  and   the  end   cannot 

1  Stromctta  Lib.  vii.  cap.  2;  Pcedagog.  Lib.  i.  cap.  8. 

2  JDe  PrincipHs,  Lib .  ii.  cap.  5,  §  3.  Even  Tertullian  says,  "J\''ihil 
bonum^qnodinjustum;  bonum  aiitem  o  nine  quod  jwitum  est.'^  Again 
he  says:  "  Stultissimi,  qui  de  huraanis  divina  prcejudicant,  ut  quo- 
niam  in  liomine  corruptorite  conditionis  babentur  hujusmodi  pas- 
sioncs,  idcirco  et  in  Deo  cjusdem  status  cxistimcntur,"  &c.  Contra 
Marc  i.  25,  2C;  ii.  12.     Ilagcnbach  §  39. 


84  THEOLOGY    or    UXIVERSALISM. 

come  till  tliis  comes.  Disorder,  injustice,  %Yrong,  and 
wickedness,  punishment  and  suffering,  are  not  the 
end,  not  the  thing  the  Divine  Government  rests  in  , 
but  Unimrsal  Ordzr^  HoUn-iSS^  and  Ilap^iness^ — 
these,  and  only  these,  arc  final  and  forever,  the  di- 
vine offspring  of  Divine  Justice  !  " 

Hence  the  Lord  himself  says  :  — "  1  am  a  just 
God  and  a  Saviour  —  there  is  none  beside  me. 
Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the 
earth  ;  for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  else.  I  have 
sworn  by  myself,  the  word  is  gone  out  of  my  mouth 
in  rio"hteousness,  and  shall  not  return  (i.  e.  shall  be 
accomplished),  that  unto  me  every  knee  shall  bow 
every  tongue  shall  swear,  surely  shall  say,  In  the 
Lord  have  I  righteousness  and  strength — and  all, 
that  are  incensed  against  him  shall  be  ashamed." — 
Isaiah  X.  20—25. 

§  II.  Justice  has  claims  on  God  as  loell  as  on  man. 
There  is  another  side  to  this  question  of  Justice, 
which  is  almost  wholly  ignored  in  the  argument — 
viz  :  that  it  has  claims  on  God  as  well  as  on  man. 
Not  only  does  justice  demand  that  the  sinner  shall 
suffer  for  his  sins,  but  also  that  he  who  created  shall 
have  dealt  fairly  with  him  in  all  that  respects  his 
moral  and  physical  constitution,  and  the  conditions  of 
liis  life  on  earth,  prior  to  his  sin  ;  and  that  he  shall 
continue  to  in  all  the  consequences  and  retributions 
following  it.  And  God  himself  recognizes  this  prin- 
ciple in  his  moral  administration  of  our  affairs,  and  in 
all  his  dealings  with  mankind.  This  is  admirably  il- 
lustrated in  the  record  of  Abraham's  pleading  with 
the  Almighty  respecting  the  destruction  of  Sodom. 
Gen.  xviii.  2-3 — 33.     God  replies  to  the  question  of 


GOD — HIS  ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  85 

the  patriarch  ;  "  Shall  not  the  judge  of  all  the  earth 
do  right  ?  "  and  plainly  admits  the  moral  obligations 
impHed  in  the  question. 

So  he  reasons  with  the  Jews  in  the  same  way,  and 
condescends  even  to  defend  his  action  toward  them 
on  the  grounds  of  strict  justice ;  and  elaborates  the 
.  arguments  of  defence  at  great  length.  Ezek.  xviii. 
The  conclusion  comes  in  this  form  : — "  And  yet  saith 
the  house  of  Israel,  the  way  of  the  Lord  is  not  equal. 
O  house  cf  Israel !  Are  not  my  ways  equal  ?  Are 
not  your  ways  unequal  ?  Therefore,  will  I  judge 
you,  every  one  according  to  his  ways,  saith  the  Lord 
God."  And  similar  passages  are  found  throughout 
the  Scriptures,  acknowledging  the  law  of  justice  as 
applicable  to  the  divine  conduct : — "  Doth  God  pervert 
judgment  ?  or  doth  the  Almighty  pervert  justice  ?  " 
"  Far  be  it  from  God  that  he  should  do  wickedness  ; 
and  from  the  Almighty  that  he  should  commit  ini- 
quity. "  Yea,  surely  God  will  not  do  wickedly  ; 
neither  will  the  Almighty  pervert  judgment.  He 
will  not  lay  upon  man  more  than  is  right,  that  he 
should  enter  into  judgment  with  God." — Job  viii. 
xxxiv.  "  Justice  and  judgment  are  the  habitation  of 
thy  throne."  "  Eighteous  art  thou,  O  Lord,  and 
upright  are  thy  judgments." — Psalms.,  Ixxxix,  cix., 
&c. 

These  passages  show  that  God  is  governed  by 
the  strictest  principles  of  honor  and  justice,  in  all  his 
dealings  with  his  creatures,  acknowledging  and  re-  '' 
specting  all  their  rights,  and  all  their  claims  upon 
him  to  be  treated  with  fairness  and  equity  In  all  that 
involves  the  interests  of  the  present  and  the  future. 
Indeed,  the  government  of  God  is  not  for  the  good  of 


86  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIYERSALISM. 

the  governor,  but  for  the  good  of  the  governed ;  not 
to  display  the  arbitrary  power  of  Deity,  but  to  pro- 
mote the  happiness  of  mankind. 

And  since,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  the  sub- 
ject of  the  government  could  not  be  consulted  as  to 
its  form  and  principles,  its  laws  and  penalties ;  Jus- 
tice requires  that  all  these  should  be  such  as  are  fitted 
to  secure  the  highest  good  of  all  concerned.  If  you 
act  in  my  affairs  without  my  knowledge  or  consent, 
you  are  bound  to  act  fairly  and  honorably,  for  my 
benefit,  and  not  to  my  injury.  If  God  bestows  on 
me  an  existence,  which  1  am  not  allowed  to  refuse, 
whatever  its  responsibilities  or  perils.  Justice  demands 
that  the  existence  thus  forced  upon  me  should  prove 
a  good  and  not  an  evil.  If  I  could  see,  beforehand, 
that  it  would  prove  an  endless  curse  to  me,  I  should, 
of  course,  reject  it,  if  the  choice  were  given  me.  If 
God  sees  beforehand  that  it  will  prove  an  endless 
curse  to  me — no  matter  how  or  why  ;  no  matter  by 
whose  fault — it  is  a  violation  of  justice  in  all  its  defi- 
nitions to  force  it  upon  me. 

But  we  will  go  farther  than  this,  and  suppose  that 
he  did  7iot  know  tliat  it  would  prove  a  final  curse  ; 
was  it  right  or  just  to  create  us  with  such  a  fearful 
issue  as  endless  woe  2^ossihle  even  ?  Without  push- 
ing the  question  of  omniscience,  suppose  it  possible 
that  we  might  reach  the  glory  and  blessedness  of 
heaven,  ought  we  to  be  comijclled  to  take  the  risk, 
however  unwilling,  when  the  alternative  of  failure  is 
so  awful?  Let  us  resort  to  illustration  again,  that 
we  may  see  it  more  clearly. 

A  frail  and  narrow  bridge  swings  across  a  gulf 
that  stretches  fearful  and  fathomless  below.     On  this, 


GOD — HIS    ATTRIBUTES,   ETC.  87 

as  it  rocks  wildly  in  the  winds,  a  father  places  his 
young  child.  Beyond,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
gulf,  he  has  deposited  a  prize  of  gold  and  jewels 
above  estimate,  which  he  promises  to  the  child  if  he 
passes  the  bridge  safely ;  and  then  compels  him  to  go, 
commandino'  him  to  look  neither  to  the  rio;ht  nor  to 
the  left,  but  to  be  watchful  and  attentive;  and  firm  of 
step.  The  boy  heedless  and  disobedient,  hesitates  in- 
stead of  going  steadily  forward — reels  and  staggers 
— the  slight  bridge  quivers  for  a  moment — swings 
from  under  him,  and  hurled  as  the  liirhtninfr,  into 
the  gulf,  he  is  caught  and  impaled  on  a  sharp  and 
jagged  splinter  of  rock  far  down  the  abyss.  There 
he  hangs  for  days  and  weeks,  for  long  and  weary 
years,  if  possible,  struggling  and  agonizing,  and 
writhing  in  torture,  and  crying  to  his  father  for  help 
and  deliverance.  But  his  father  turns  a  deaf  ear  to 
all  his  entreaties,  goes  about  his  business  wholly  in- 
different to  the  horrible  sufferings  of  his  child,  and 
justifies  himself  by  saying,  "•  The  boy  might  have 
passed  the  bridge  safely,  and  won  the  prize — he 
was  warned  of  the  danger— it  was  his  own  fault 
that  he  fell,  and  he  suffers  justly  !  " 

Now,  would  not  Justice,  Honor,  Humanity, — 
would  not  all  men  and  angels,  pronounce  this  father 
a  monster  and  a  fiend  ;  and  reprobate  his  conduct  as 
the  essence  of  injustice  and  cruelty  ?  "VYould  not 
every  one  say  there  was  no  necessity  for  such  a  pro- 
ceeding, no  excuse  for  the  awful  risk  to  which  the 
child  was  thus  wantonly  exposed  ? 

And  shall  God  place  me  on  the  frail  and  narrow 
bridge  of  Life,  stretched,  as  it  is,  over  the  awful'and 
flaming  abyss  of  endless  perdition,  with  the  bare  pos- 


hAy\ 


t^/^ 


88  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVEllSALISM, 

sibility  of  a  heaven  beyond ;  and  then  leave  me 
there  to  Avalk  it,  swinging  learfiilly  to  and  fro  in  the 
winds  and  tempests  of  temptation,  till,  faint  with  ter- 
ror, at  last  I  make  a  false  step,  and  am  percipitated 
into  the  fathomless  sea  of  fire  below?  Why  give 
life  with  sueh  awful  hazard  ?  I  would  not  choose  it, 
nor  take  it,  if  left  to  my  own  freedom.  I  would  not 
willingly  cross  the  frail  and  unsteady  bridge,  swaying 
in  the  wind  with  so  many  thousand  chances  against 
me — whatever  the  prize — not  for  the  possibility  of 
ten  thousand  heavens. 

Uncreated  I  suffered  nothing,  I  lost  nothing,  I  ran 
no  risk.  Why  drag  me  forth  from  nothingness  with- 
out my  consent,  and  force  me  upon  the  perilous  life- 
brido'e,  and  then  leave  me  to  fall  headlons:  into  the 
bottomless  abyss  of  torment,  torment  beyond  mea- 
sure, and  without  end  ?  Does  not  the  moral  sense  of 
every  man  cry  out  against  this  ?  Does  not  Justice, 
with  all  her  voices,  protest  against  it  ?  Assuredly  so. 
There  was  no  need  to  subject  me  to  this  terrible  risk 
— nothino'  that  demanded  it ;  and  there  is  nothinjr 
that  can  justify  or  excuse  it.  And  if  God  has  done 
this,  the  plea  which  Young,  in  "  The  Last  Day,"  has 
put  into  the  mouth  of  the  damned  sinner  in  hell, 
would  tell  with  terrible  effect  on  the  Divine  Justice 
as  well  as  INIercy  : 

*'  Father  of  ^lercics  !  why  from  silent  earth 
Didst  thou  awake  and  curse  me  into  birth  ? 
Tear  vie  from  quiet,  ravish  me  from  night. 
And  make  a  thankless  present  of  thy  light  ? 
Push  into  being  a  reverse  of  thee, 
^         And  animate  a  clod  with  misery  ? 

The  beasts  are  happy  \  they  come  forth  and  keep 
Short  watch  on  earth,  and  then  lie  down  to  sleep. 


GOD— niS    ATTRIBUTES,   ETC.  89 

But  our  dire  punishment  forever  strong. 

Our  constitution  too  forever  young, 

Cursed  -with  returns  of  vigor  still  the  same. 

Powerful  to  bear  and  satisfy  the  flame ; 

Still  to  be  caught  and  still  to  be  pursued ; 

To  perish  still,  and  still  to  be  renewed  ! 

And  this  my  Help,  my  God  at  thy  decree  : 

JVature  is  changed  and  Hell  should  succor  me  ! 

And  canst  thou,  then  look  down  from  perfect  bliss, 

And  see  me  plunging  in  this  dark  abyss? 

Calling  thee  Father,  in  a  sea  of  fire  ? 

Or  pouring  blasphemies  at  thy  desire  ? 

With  mortal's  anguish  wilt  thou  raise  thy  name? 

And  by  my  pangs  omnipotence  proclaim  ? ' ' 

The  Divine  Justice,  therefore,  is  not  only  an  elo- 
quent and  unanswerable  protest  against  the  doctrine 
of  endless  pain  and  punishment ;  but  it  is  an  equally 
conclusive  argument  that  all  the  issues  of  the  divine 
government  under  which  we  have  been  placed,  will 
be  beneficent,  and  that  every  living  soul  shall  at  last 
have  abundant  cause  to  rejoice  that  it  was  created. 
And  so  will  be  fulfilled  the  prophecy  and  the  promise 
already  quoted,—"  I  am  a  Just  God  and  a  Saviour 
,  .  .  unto  me  every  knee  shall  bow,  every  tongue 
shall  swear,  surely  shall  say,  I?i  the  Lord  have,  I 
righteousness  and  strength,'^ 

SECTION      VI. 

GOD    THE    FATHER    OF     ALL     MEN. 

But  God  is  not  only  represented  in  the  Scriptures 
as  the  Creator  of  man,  perfect  in  power,  and  wisdom, 
and  goodness,  and  justice  ;  but  he  has  also  declared 
himself   as  sustaining  toward   us  the  intimate  and 


90  TIIEOLOGr    OF    UXIVEUSALISM. 

tender  relation  of  I^arcnt.  And  in  this  revelation  he 
announces  liimself  as  assuming  all  the  obligations, 
and  possessing  all  the  affections  for  us,  implied  by 
that  name  and  relation. 

By  the  apostle  Paul,  we  have  the  witness  that  there 
is  "  one  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and 
through  all,  and  in  you  all."  Eph.  iv.  ;  and  again, 
that  "to  us  there  is  but  one  God,  the  Father,  of 
whom  are  all  things,  and  we  in  him."  1  Cor.  viii. 
"The  Lord,  the  God  of  the  Spirits  of  all  flesh." 
Num.  xvi.,  xxvii.  And,  again,  we  have  the  saluta* 
tion  :  "  Grace  be  to  you,  and  peace  from  God  the 
Father,  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  gave  him- 
self for  us,  that  he  might  deliver  us  from  this  present 
evil  world,  according  to  the  will  of  God  and  our 
Father :  to  whom  be  glory  forever  and  ever."  Gal.  i. 
And  the  Saviour  has  given  to  the  world  a  beautiful 
formula  of  prayer,  beginning  with,  "  Our  Father, 
which  art  in  heaven."^ 

1  It  maybe  thought  that  John  viii.  37—45,  requires  some  notice, 
since  here  Jesus  not  only  seems  to  deny  that  God  -was  the  Father  of  the 
unbelieving  Jews,  but  expressly  declares  the  devil  to  be  their  father. 
But  he  is  speaking  in  this  case  simply  of  moral  resemblance,  or  like 
ness  in  character.  They  were  children  of  the  devil,  or  the  devil  was 
their  father,  because  they  Vv-ere  alike  in  character.  The  devil  was  "  a 
murderer  from  the  beginniug,"  and  **  ye  seek  to  kill  me  ;"  *'  he  is  a 
liar,  and  the  father  of  it,"  and  ye  choose  a  lie,  for  **  I  tell  you  the 
truth,  and  ye  believe  me  not;"  and  thus  "  ye  are  of  your  ftither  the 
devil."  As  they  were  in  moral  character  or  resemblance  the  children 
of  the  devil,  so  they  could  not,  iti  this  respect,  claim  God  as  tlieir 
Father,  for  there  was  no  likeness  between  them.  Verses  39,  40  ex- 
plain the  meaning  :—"  If  ye  Averc  Abraham's  children,  ye  would  do 
the  works  of  Abraham  ;"  just  as  he  says,  verse  42,  "If  God  were 
your  Father,  ye  would  love  me."  Of  course  they  were  Abraham'a 
children  by  nature  or  descent  ;  but  they  were  not  morally,  because 
Abraham  was  distinguished  for  his  faith,  and  they  for  their  unbelief. 


GOD  —  HIS    ATTRIBUTES,    ETC.  91 

But  God  is  not  only  bound  to  mankind  by  the  ties 
and  affections  of  a  parent,  but  he  has  also  established 
over  them  the  authority  and  discipline  of  parental 
government.  He  has  set  up  his  laws  and  declared 
his  commandments,  what  he  requires  us  to  do,  and 
what  he  forbids  us  to  do  ;  and  he  calls  upon  us  to 
obey  him,  with  the  assurance  that  obedience  brings 
peace  and  happiness,  and  disobedience  sorrow  and 
pain.  The  faithful  will  find  favor  in  his  sight,  and 
the  rebellious  will  incur  the  penalties  of  the  law. 
But  the  law  and  the  penalty,  the  discipline  and  pun- 
ishment, are  all  the  offspring  of  parental  wisdom  and 
love.  God  governs  his  great  family  of  intelligent 
offspring  for  their  good,  and  not  for  his  own.  The 
commandments  are  for  their  benefit,  not  for  his  ;  and 


So  they  were  God's  children  by  nature  or  creation,  but  not  morally  or 
by  faith  and  obedience.  The  Saviour  just  as  much  denies  the  fixther- 
hood  of  Abraham,  as  the  fatherhood  of  God.  The  fact  is,  that  the 
primal  parental  relation  by  nature,  both  of  God  and  of  Abraham,  ex- 
ists independent  of  the  moral  or  spiritual  relation.  The  one  is  a  re^ 
semblance  in  character ;  the  other  is  the  necessity  of  creation  and  birth, 
and  cannot  be  changed  nor  abolished.  A  child  may  be  very  disobe- 
dient  and  sinful,  but  that  does  not  annul  his  relationship  to  his  parent. 
The  fact  that  he  is  a  child  is  in  the  nature  of  things,  and  cannot  be 
changed  by  any  act  either  of  the  father  or  of  the  child. 

The  figure  in  question,  is  very  common  in  the  Scriptures  ;  as  far  ex- 
ample: *'  Children  of  light,"  and  "children  of  darkness,**  "  sou  of 
thunder,"  '*  son  of  perdition,'  "  son  of  consolation,"  &c.;  and  in  the 
language  of  the  day,  we  have  "  Sons  of  Temperance,"  "  Daughters  of 
Charity,"  "  Sisters  of  Mercy,"  aud  like  forms  of  speech,  expressive  of 
character  and  action.  The  language  of  Jesus  no  more  implies  the 
personality  of  the  devil,  than  these  names  imply  the  personality  of 
Light,  Consolation,  Temperance  and  Charity.  If  it  be  said  that  the 
game  reasoning  would  disprove  the  jDersonality  of  God,  I  answer.  No  ; 
for  the  personality  of  God  does  not  depend  on  a  name  or  a  relation. 
The  existence  of  man,  the  earth,  the  physical  creation,  are  the  witness- 
ea  of  God's  existence  and  personality > 


92  THEOLOGY    OP    UXIVERSALISM. 

the  chastisements  of  disobedience  are  corrective,  and 
not  in  anger. 

The  Father  rises  above  the  Lawgiver  and  the 
Judge,  and  all  other  relations  of  God  to  man  are  sub- 
ordinate to  this.  The  divine  love  of  the  Parent  is 
the  source  out  of  which  comes  the  Divine  Govern- 
ment, the  centre  from  which  all  action  toward  man 
orijTinates.  No  lauG^uao-e  is  too  stronof  or  intensive  to 
express  the  greatness  and  tenderness  of  the  Father's 
affection  for  his  children  ;  for  as  the  apostle  says  : 
"  Neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalis 
ties,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to 
come,  nor  height  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature, 
shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God, 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.''     Horn.  viii. 

He  is  the  fountain  of  life,  and  light  and  joy,  to  all 
his  intelligent  creatures.  By  day  and  by  night 
he  cares  for  us  ;  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  he 
watches  for  us,  and  suffers  no  real  evil  to  come  nisch 
to  us.  Our  sorrows  and  trials  are  not  evil,  but  min- 
isters of  good  to  us,  though  for  a  little  they  walk 
with  us  in  disguise.  All  that  we  suffer  is  ordered  in 
a  love  whose  tenderness  is  equalled  only  by  its  wis- 
dom. And  he  has  told  us  that  he  will  never  abandon 
his  children,  Avhatever  darkness  may  cloud  the  mind, 
whatever  hardness  may  come  upon  the  heart.  They 
may  forsake  liim,  but  he  is  still  a  father ;  and  the 
golden  cord  of  parental  affection  is  too  strong  ever  to 
be  broken.  His  infinite  energy  cannot  he  exhausted, 
nor  his  Spirit  wearied,  in  his  efforts  to  recover  the 
lost,  lift  up  the  fallen,  and  reform  the  sinful.  And  ho 
will  not  stay  the  work  of  regeneration  and  redemp- 
tion, until  he  has   rebuilt  every  ruined  soul  in   its 


GOD  III3  ATTllIBUTES,  ETC.  93 

original  fair  proportions,  in  all   its  primal   symmetry 
and  beauty. ' 

And  how  luminously  all  this  is  written  out  on  the 
sacred  page,  as  a  part  of  the  Divine  religion  of 
Jesus.  "  Every  good  gift,  and  every  perfect  gift,  is 
from  above,  and  cometh  down  from  the  Father  of 
Lio'hts,  with  whom  is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow 
of  turning."  James  i.  He  is  the  same  in  his  infin- 
ite goodness  toward  his  children,  "  yesterday,  to-day, 
and  forever,"  whatever  their  waywardness  or  ingrati- 
tude, or  sinfulness  ;  for  change  in  them  works  no 
change  in  him.  Hence  the  beautiful  and  affecting 
witness  of  Jesus  :  "  Love  your  enemieSj  bless  them 
that  curse  you,  and  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you, 
that  ye  may  he  the  cliildren  of  your  Father  which  is 
in  heaven  ;  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil 
and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  his  rain  on  the  just  and 
on  the  unjust.  Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as  your 
Father  w^hich  is  in  heaven  is  perfect."  Matt.  v. 
Can  lano-uajre  <xo  further  than  this  in  exhibition  of 
the  love  of  the  Divine   Parent  toward  his   children, 

iFrederica  Bremer,  who  is  a  believer  in  the  final  restoration, 
states  this  point  in  eloquent  words  :— "  God  is  Love.  He  will,  there- 
fore never  cease  to  desire  the  delivery  of  every  soul  of  raan;  here, 
there,  in  eternity,  he  will  labor  for  it.  God  is  the  only  principle  ever 
the  same,  ever  active.  0  '.  certainly  the  time  will  come  when  the  Son, 
the  Eternal  Word,  shall  have  subdued  all  to  the  Father,  the  Eternal 
Mind."  "  God,  the  eternally  good,  the  highest  love,  will  he  forsake 
his  f:\llen,  his  wretched  child  ?  Will  he  do  less  than  an  earthly  mother 
for  her  own?  O,  no;  he  will  never  turn  away  his  face;  he  will  seek 
his  child;  he  will  call  to  him;  he  will  suffer;  he  will  give  his  heart's 
blood  to  win  him  :'gain,  to  unite  him  again  to  himself.  If  God  lives  in 
holier  worlds  as  a  dispenser  of  blesseAness,  he  must  live  on  earth  as  a 
reconciler.  The  hymn  of  regret  an  I  homesickness  which  has  arisen  on 
enrth  from  tims  immetnorial— this  inward  cry,  '  Come,  Lord! '  is  from 
everlasting  to  everlasting  answered  with,  '  Here,  my  child! '  " 


94  THEOLOGY  OF  UXIVERSALISM. 

even  his  "  evil  and  unjust "  children  ?  And  is  it  net 
such  patient  and  forgiving  love  as  this  that  makes 
us  ashamed  of  our  sins,  when  once  we  come  fairly  to 
see  and  comprehend  it  ?  Is  not  this  the  "  goodness 
of  God  that  leadeth  us  to  repentance,"  when  the 
knowledge  and  belief  of  it  have  once  made  their  way 
into  the  heart  ? 

And  with  what  power  are  we  drawn  to  him,  with 
what  attractive  force  his  parental  love  comes  out  to 
meet  us,  what  confidence  and  trust  are  inspired  with- 
in us,  when  the  blessed  Son  and  Saviour  reveals  to 
us  the  value  and  preciousness  which  our  Father 
sets  upon  us  as  his  children,  and  the  special  care  with 
which  he  provides  for  all  our  needs  :  —  "  Take  no 
thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye 
shall  drink.  Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air ;  for  they 
sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns, 
yet  your  heavenly  Father  feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not 
much  better  than  they  ?  And  why  take  ye  thought 
for  raiment  ?  Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how 
they  grow ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin,  and 
yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his 
glory,  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these  !  Where- 
fore, if  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which 
to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall 
he  not  much  more  clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ? 
Therefore  take  no  thought,  saying,  what  shall  we 
cat,  or  what  shall  we  drink,  or  wherewithal  shall  we 
be  clothed  ;  for  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that 
ye  have  need  of  these  thinq^s.  But  seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added 
unto  you."  Matt.  vi.  And  again  he  says  :  —  "  Are 
not  five  sparrows  sold  for  two  farthings,  and  not  one 


GOD  HIS    ATTRIBUTES,  ETC.  95 

of  them  is  forgotten  before  God  ;  but  even  the  very- 
hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear  not, 
therefore,  ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  spar- 
rows." ^     Luke  xii. 

All  this  is  intended  to  show  the  nearness  of  God  to 
us,  and  the  watchful  tenderness  with  which  he  ;fol- 
lows  us  in  all  our  ways.  It  is  designed  to  establish 
the  fact  that  the  parental  relation  is  real,  and  not  in 
name  ;  and  that  God,  being  our  Father,  feels  for  us 
the  love  of  a  Father,  and,  so  to  speak,  discharges  all 
the  duties  of  a  father.  Pie  anticipates  and  provides 
for  every  want,  he  guards  from  every  danger,  and  in 
everything  he  seeks  the  best  good  of  his  family. 
He  withholds  no  real  privilege  or  blessing  which  they 
seek,  he  grants,  freely,  every  wish  consistent  with  the 
individual  and  general  welfare ;  and  only  refuses 
when  he  sees  that  the  thing  desired  and  prayed  for 
in  our  ignorance  and  blindness  would.be  an  injury, 
and  not  a  good.  He  often  denies  what  we  ask,  but  it 
is  because  "we  know  not  what  we  should  pray  for  as 
we  ought."  He  deals  with  us  as  a  wise  and  kind 
earthly  parent  often  deals  with  his  inexperienced  chil- 
dren :  refusing  this,  however  earnestly  sought  for, 
and  compelling  that,  however  disagreeable  and  pain- 
ful, knowini2i;  that  his  knowledire  is  better  than  the 
child's,  and  content  to  wait  until  time  and  experience 
shall  justify  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  his  course. 

And  this  truth,  that  God  gives  to  his  children  only 
what  is  good,  and  never  what  is  really  evil,  the   Sa- 

1  CLE:\rEXS  Alexandrixus  has  a  very  beautiful  figure  illustrative  of 
this  thought.  lie  says,  "  As  the  parent  birl  follows  and  seeks  out  its 
young  Avhich  have  fallen  from  the  nest,  £0  God  the  Father  follows  and 
Bceks  out  his  fallen  children." 


9G  XnEOLOGY  OF  UNIVERSALISM. 

viour  illustrates  with  equal  force  and  beauty  : — "  If  a 
sou  shall  ask  bread  of  any  of  you  that  is  a  father,  will 
he  give  him  a  stone  ?  or  if  he  ask  a  fish,  will  he  for  a 
fish  give  him  a  serpent  ?  or  if  he  shall  ask  an  egg^ 
will  he  offer  him  a  scorpion  ?  If  ye,  then,  being  evil, 
know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children, 
how  much  more  shall  your  heavenly  Father  give 
good  things,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  them  that  ask 
him  !  "  Luke  xi.,  Matt.  vii.  Thus  he  shows  how 
God,  being  truly  a  parent,  bestows  all  real  temporal 
and  spiritual  blessings  on  those  whom  he  has  form- 
ed in  his  own  image.  And  at  the  same  time, 
he  reveals  the  blessed  truth,  that  God  is  "  much 
more  "  a  Father  to  his  children,  than  it  is  possible  for 
any  earthly  parent  to  be.  jNIan  is  weak  ;  but  God  is 
almighty,  and  can  do  all  his  love  desires  for  the  wel- 
fare of  his  offspring.  Man  is  capricious  and  change- 
able ;  but  God  is  always  the  same,  without  variable- 
ness. Man  is  imperfect ;  but  God  is  perfect.  The 
human  parent  may  be  unfaithful  and  forget ;  but  the 
Divine  Parent  —  never.  And  the  words  spoken  to 
Israel  by  God  himself,  are  of  universal  application  ; 
"  Can  a  woman  forget  her  sucking  child,  that  she 
should  not  have  compassion  on  the  son  of  her  womb  ? 
Yea,  they  may  forget,  yet  will  I  not  forget  thee. 
Behold,  I  have  graven  thee  upon  the  palms  of  my 
hands."     Isa.  xlix. 

Such  are  the  Scriptural  representations  of  the  pa- 
re^ital  relation  of  God  to  man.  And  that  they  are  in- 
tended to  inform  us,  that,  in  the  mulntenanoe  of  this 
relation,  he  will  regard  the  highest  welfare  of  his 
whole  family,  and  of  every  humblest  individual  of  it. 
that  he  must,  indeed,  do  this,  as  the  necessity  of  his 


GOD  —  niS    ATTRIBUTES,   ETC.  97 

love,  cannot  admit  of  a  doubt.  Nothing  in  the  Bible 
can  be  plainer  than  the  sublime  truth  of  God's  uni- 
versal Fatherhood  ;  and  this  being  true,  nothing  can 
be  plainer  than  the  utter  antagonism  to  this  of  the 
doctrine  of  endless  punishment. 

The  idea  of  an  earthly  father,  if  he  had  the  power, 
keeping  his  child  in  endless  existence  only  that  he 
might  inflict  upon  him  endless  torture,  is  too  mon- 
Btrously  absurd  and  wicked  to  require  refutation  I 
And  where  is  the  son  or  daughter  who,  if  any  one 
were  to  accuse  their  earthly  father  of  cherishing  such 
a  purpose,  or  of  being  guilty  of  such  atrocious  cruel- 
ty, would  not  rise  up  with  burning  indignation  to  re 
pel  the  charge,  and  silence  the  slanderer  ?  And  yet 
thousands  hear  this  cruel  accusation  against  their 
heavenly  Father,  who  Is  so  much  more  to  them  than 
any  human  parent  can  ever  be  ;  and  they  not  only  do 
not  rebuke,  but  even  accept  and  believe,  the  shock- 
ing blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Spirit  of  truth  and 
lore  !  What  argument  is  needed,  v»^hat  argument  is 
possible,  here  ?  It  is  all  embraced  in  a  single  sen- 
tence ; — If  God  be  the  Father  of  men,  as  the  Bible 
asserts,  then  endless  punishment  can  not  be  true.  If 
it  be  true,  then  is  God  not  the  Father  of  men  ;  and 
the  beautiful  sayings  of  Jesus,  which  we  have  repeat- 
ed here,  are  only  as  a  dream  of  the  niglit ! 

But  in  this  presentation  of  the  case  we  do  not,  of 
course,  ignore  the  fact  already  stated,  that  God  pun- 
ishes the  disobedient  and  Vv^ickcd  ;  but  we  insist  that 
he  punishes  as  a  Father,  with  no  feeling  or  object  in- 
consistent with  parental  love,  or  the  lilghest  interests 
of  the  sufferer  ;  in  a  word,  that  he  punishes  only  foi 
correction.     And  with  what  truth   and  force  this  ia 


98  THEOLOGY  OF  UNIVEHSALISM. 

set  out  by  the  author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  : 
"My  son,  despise  not  thou  the  chastening  of  the 
Lord,  nor  faint  when  thou  art  rebuked  of  him  ;  for 
whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth,  and  sccurgeth 
every  son  whom  he  receiveth.  If  ye  endure  chasten- 
ing, God  dealeth  with  you  as  with  sons  ;  for  what 
son  is  he  whom  the  father  chasteneth  not  ?  Further- 
more, we  have  had  fathers  of  the  flesh  who  chasten- 
ed us,  and  we  gave  them  reverence  :  shall  we  not 
much  rather  be  in  subjection  to  the  Father  of  spirits 
and  live  f  For  they  verily  for  a  few  days  chastened 
us  after  their  own  pleasure  ;  hut  lie  for  our  iwojit^ 
that  we  might  he  partahers  of  his  holiness.  Now, 
no  chastening  for  the  i:)resent  seemeth  to  be  joyous, 
but  grievous  ;  nevertheless,  afterward  it  yieldeth  the 
peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness  to  them  that  are  ex- 
ercised thereby."     Chap.  xii. 

No  comment  is  needed  on  a  statement  so  direct  and 
clear  as  this.  God,  as  a  Father,  exercises  parental 
control  over  his  family  ;  he  compels  respect  to  his 
government,  because  that  government  is  established 
for  the  security  and  happiness  of  his  children.  He 
punishes  those  who  disobey  his  laws,  but  for  their 
profit,  that  they  may  repent  of  their  sins,  and  become 
l^artakers  of  his  holiness.  And  if  we  can  reverence 
our  fathers  of  the  flesh,  who  sometimes  chasten  us 
capriciously,  or  for  their  own  pleasure  ;  how  much 
rather  ought  we  to  be  in  subjection  to  the  Father  of 
our  spirits,  that  we  may  live.  And  thus  again  is  af- 
firmed the  superiority  of  tlie  love  of  our  heavenly 
Parent  over  that  of  earthly  parents  ;  and,  also,  that 
the  chastisements  of  God  are  corrective,  that  we  may 


GOD — niS    ATTRIBUTES,    ETC.  99 

live,  having  an  afterward  of  the  peaccahle  fruits  of 
righteousness^ 

And  this  is  only  what  we  have  a  right  to  expect, 
both  from  the  parental  character  of  God,  and  from 
the  very  genius  and  object  of  govenmient  itself.  All 
true  governments  on  earth,  seek,  as  their  aim  and 
end,  the  prosperity,  grovv'th  and  happiness,  of  the 
people  in  their  charge.  Every  family  government 
that  has  a  right  to  be,  proposes,  as  its  sole  object,  the 
best  education,  the  noblest  character,  the  largest  use- 
fulness and  happiness  of  every  aon  and  daughter. 
So  of  the  Divine  Government,  whether  regal  as  of 
the  king,  or  parental  as  of  the  father  ;  it  can  only  aim 
at,  can  only  be  satisfied  with,  the  highest  good  and 
happiness  of  all  who  are  its  subjects.  And,  in  the 
accomplishment  of  this,  whatever  pains  or  penalties, 
whatever  restraint,  or  discipline,  or  severity,  may  be 
necessary,  will  be  sanctioned  alike  by  wisdom  and  af- 
fection. 

And  what  a  pathetic  and  instructive  illustration  of 
this  whole  subject  of  the  Divine  Fatherhood  and 
Government,  is  furnished  in  the  beautiful  parable  of 
The  Prodio;al  Son.  Luke  xv.  The  father  knew 
well  enough  the  folly  and  wilfulness  of  his  son,  and 
that  nothing  but  the  bitter  experience  to  which  he 
was  blindly  and  obstinately  hurrying,  could  reform 
and  correct  him.  And  so  he  left  him  to  himself,  left 
him  (as  God  often  leaves  his  children,)  to  gather  into 
his  bosom  the  fruits  of  Ins  folly  and  sin ;  left  him  to 
the  desolation,  and  anguish,  and  curse,  of  his  guilty 
life.     But  all  this  while   the  father's  heart  remained 

'  See  this  subject  discussed  at  length  in  Chapter  viii. 


100  THEOLOGY    OF   UXIVERSALSIM. 

the  same  in  its  love  ;  all  this  while  the  father's  house 
was  open  to  receive  the  returning  prodigal ;  and  the 
fatted  ealf,  and  the  ring,  and  the  purple  robe,  await- 
ed his  coming.  And  when,  at  last,  suffering  and 
punishment  had  accomplished  the  work  of  humilia- 
tion and  repentance,  when  the  fier^^  scourge  of  judg- 
ment had  swept  his  blindness  and  his  sin  clean  away 
from  him,  and  he  arose  and  went  with  humbled  and 
yearning  heart  toward  his  home,  we  see  the  un- 
chan^xed  tenderness  of  the  father's  heart  throun^h  all 
that  past  of  sin  and  shame,  as  he  hurried  to  meet 
him  afar  off,  and  fell  upon  his  neck  and  kissed 
him  !  And  in  this  sweet  parable  of  Jesus,  we  see, 
also,  as  he  meant  we  should  see  ,  the  heart  of  God, 
the  compassion  and  tenderness  of  the  Divine  Father 
toward  his  erring  and  sinful  children. 

Is  it  possible,  then,  to  doubt  the  results  of  his  pa- 
rental government  ?  Is  it  possible  to  doubt  that  final- 
ly, through  joy  and  sorrow,  through  hope  and  fear, 
through  rewards  and  punishments,  through  the  wis- 
dom of  discipline  and  the  profit  of  experience,  it 
will  end  in  universal  correction  and  restoration  ?  Is 
it  possible  to  believe  otherwise  than  that  the  infinite- 
ly wise  and  good  Father,  with  infinite  resources  at 
his  command,  will  so  govern,  and  guide,  and  educate 
his  children,  that  at  last  they  shall  be  made  wise  un- 
to salvation  ;  and,  returned  from  all  their  wanderings, 
purified  from  all  evil,  be  renewed  in  the  image  of  the 
heavenly  forcvermorc  ! 

And  with  what  beauty  Tennyson  expresses  his 
hope  of  this,  in  his  "In  Memoriam  :" — 


GOD — HIS    ATTRIBUTES,   ETC.  101 

"Oh,  yes,  we  trust  that  somehow  good 

Wm  be  the  final  goal  of  ill, 

To  pangs  of  nature,  sins  of  will. 
Defects  of  doubt,  and  taints  of  blood! 

That  nothing  walks  with  aimless  feet. 

That  not  one  life  shall  be  destroyed. 

Or  cast  as  rubbish  to  the  void. 
When  God  hath  made  the  pile  complete. 

Behold!  we  know  not  any  thing; 

I  can  but  trust  that  good  shall  fall 

At  last— far  oflf— at  last  to  all. 
And  every  winter  change  to  spring." 


And  he  completes  the  picture  in  the  following  ex- 
quisite lines,  relative  to  the  final  and  universal  har- 
mony resulting  from  God's  government : 

*'  That  God  which  ever  lives  and  loves, 

One  God,  one  law,  one  element. 

And  one  far  off,  divine  event, 
To  which  the  whole  creation  moves!" 

This  ends  the  Scriptural  and  logical  presentation 
of  the  argument  for  Universal  holiness  and  happi- 
ness, founded  on  the  character  of  God  as  Creator 
and  Father,  and  on  the  Divine  attributes  of  Power, 
"Wisdom,  Goodness,  and  Justice. 

It  will  be  seen  that  each  attribute  furnishes  an  ar- 
gument in  itself,  as  regards  the  intention  and  will  of 
God  in  the  creation  of  mankind  ;  and  that,  taken  to- 
gether, they  demonstrate  the  harmony  of  the  Divine 
perfections  in  the  original  plan,  and  in  the  progres- 
sive work  of  redemption.  God  is  forever  at  one 
with  himself  Power  and  Wisdom,  Goodness  and 
Justice,  unite  in  the  demand  for  the  final  abolition  of 
sin  and  evil,  and  for  the  universal  triumph  and  eter- 


102  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVEUSALISM. 

nal  reign  of  good.  He  is  the  Universal  Father,  and 
he  will  never  abandon  his  children,  nor  cease  to  love 
them,  nor  cease  to  act  in  their  behalf,  until  the  last 
wandering  sheep  is  restored  to  the  fold,  and  the  work 
of  redemption  is  complete. 


But  how  is  this  redemption  to  be  accomplished  ? 
What  are  the  agencies  by  which  sin  is  to  be  put 
away,  and  the  race  of  man  delivered  from  the  bond- 
age of  corruption,  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
children  of  God  ?  The  Bible  reveals  the  fact  that 
God,  in  the  scheme  of  redemption,  works  through 
appointed  means,  by  instrumentalities,  and  by  agents 
specially  chosen  and  consecrated  for  the  purposCr 
He  is  the  source  of  truth  and  knowledire  :  from  him 
proceed  all  grace  and  spiritual  power;  but  he  be* 
stows  these  divine  gifts  on  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and 
sends  him  into  the  world,  that  through  him  the  world 
may  be  saved.  God  is,  indeed,  "  the  Saviour  of  all 
men;"  but  he  saves  them  through  Christ  and  his 
Gospel ;  and  hence  Christ  is  also  called  "  the  Saviour 
of  the  world,"  and  the  Gospel  •'  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation." 

We  are,  therefore,  led  by  the  natural  development 
and  connection  of  the  argument  to  consider  next, 
the  nature  and  person  of  Christ,  his  office,  the  sacri- 
fice of  his  death,  the  atonement,  and  his  relation  to 
the  world  as  its  Redeemer. 


CHAPTER  II. 

OHBIST HIS   NATURE,    OFFICE  AND   ATONEMENT. 

SECTION    I. 

§  I.  TAe  person  and  office  of  Christ.  His  exalt' 
cd  character  and  pre-existence,  -^  Throughout  the 
Scriptures,  Jesus  is  represented  as  the  Son  of  God, 
€ind  this  is  the  title  which  he  claims  for  himself,  and 
never  anything  higher  than  this.  But  it  is  plain 
enough,  from  the  usage  of  this  expression  in  con- 
nection with  the  Saviour,  that  it  has  a  larger  and 
deeper  meaning  than  the  same  or  similar  language 
when  applied  to  others.  The  phrases  "  sons  of  God," 
*'  children  of  God,"  &c,,  are  often  used  to  designate 
believers  in  the  truth,  or  those  who  obey  the  truth ; 
but  the  "  Son  of  God,"  when  applied  to  Jesus,  is  sig- 
nificant of  something  more  than  faith  and  obedience. 
It  is  obviously  expressive  of  character,  position,  spir- 
itual power,  and  a  special  relation  to  God, 

Hence  he  is  said  to  be  "  heir  of  all  things,  by 
whom  also  he  made  the  worlds  ;  the  brightness  of  his 
glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person,  uphold- 
ing all  things  by  the  word  of  his  power."  Heb.  i. 
This  is  never  said  of  believers,  nor  of  any  other  be- 
ings ;  nor  is  it  written  of  any  but  Jesus,  that  "in 
him  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily." 
Cob  ii.  9.      And  constantly  ho  is  spoken  of  in  the 


104  THEOLOGY     OF    UNIVERSALIS^. 

Bible  as  something  more  than  man  ;  as  standing  in  a 
peculiar  relation  both  to  God  and  to  us  ;  as  one  to 
whom  the  spirit  was  given  "  without  measure,"  and 
having  "  all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth."  John  iii., 
Matt,  xxviii.  It  is  he  whom  "  God  hath  exalted 
with  his  right  hand  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour," 
Acts  v.  31  ;  "  being  made  so  much  better  than  the 
angels,  as  he  hath,  by  inheritance,  obtained  a  more 
excellent  name  than  they."  Heb.  i.  4.  And  this 
name  is  "above  every  name,  that  at  the  name  of 
Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven, 
and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under  the  earth,  and 
that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father."  Phil.  ii. 
9  —  11. 

Such  lano-uaire  as  this,  which  abounds  in  the  New 
Testament,  is  never  employed  in  reference  to  any 
other  created  being.  It  reveals  to  us  the  fact  that 
Jesus  is  indeed  ''  the  first  born  of  every  creature, 
.  .  .  that  in  all  things  he  might  have  the  pre-emi- 
nence," Col.  i. ;  that  he  was  endued  with  Divine 
wisdom  and  knowledge,  gifted  with  miraculous 
power,  and  sent  into  the  world  on  a  special  mission., 
that  through  his  life,  and  teachings,  and  grace,  he 
might  save  the  world  ;  and  through  his  death  and 
resurrection,  "  might  abolish  death,"  and  bring  into 
the  liffht,  the  jT-lorious  fact  of  "  life  and  immortal!- 
ty,"  and  thus  "  deliver  those  who,  through  fear  of 
death,  were  all  their  life-time  subject  to  bondage." 
2  Tim.  i.,  Heb.  ii. 

His  nature  was  both  divine  and  human.  He  is  the 
"  Mediator  between  God  and  men,  the  man  Christ 
Jesus,"  1  Tim.  ii.  5  \   claiming   to  be  both  the  "  Soxi 


CHRIST  — HIS    NATURE,    ETC.  105 

of  God,"  and  the  "  Son  of  man."  John  vlli.  40.  He 
stands  between  us,  with  one  hand  reaching  up  to 
God,  and  with  the  other  reaching  down  to  man,  and 
thus  brinjrino;  us  tofjether,  and  reconcilino;  the  workl 
to  God, 

There  are  many  passages  which  seem  to  intimate 
very  strongly,  his  pre-existeaco,  his  personality  prior 
to  his  appearance  in  the  flesh,  his  dwelling  with  the 
Father  from  the  beginning.  "  And  now,  O  Father, 
glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self,  with  the  glory 
which  I  had  with  thee  before  the  world  was." 
"  Jesus  said  unto  them,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  be- 
fore Abraham  was,  I  am."  John  xvii.,  viii.  Again 
he  says :  *'  No  man  hath  ascended  up  to  heaven, 
but  he  that  came  down  from  heaven,  even  the  Son  of 
Man  which  is  in  heaven,"  John  iii,  "  For  ye  know 
the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  though  he 
was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  he  became  poor,  that  ye, 
through  his  poverty,  might  be  rich.'  2.  Cor.  viii. 
*'  Who  being  in  the  form  of  God,  thought  it  not  rob- 
bery to  be  equal  with  God  (more  properly,  "  thought 
it  not  to  be  sought  after  to  be  equal  with  God  ;  i.  e. 
was  content  to  be  in  the  likeness  of  God,  without 
seeking  to  be  his  equal),  but  made  himself  of  no  re- 
putation, and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant, 
and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  man."  Phil.  ii. 
"  And  the  Lord  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us, 
and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  be- 
gotten of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth."  Johni. 
*'  Forasmuch  as  the  children  are  partakers  of  flesh 
and  blood,  he  also  himself  likewise  took  part  of  the 
same,  .  .  .  for  verily  he  took  not  on  him  the  nature 
of  angels,  bat  he  took  en  him  the  seed  of  Abraham," 
Heb  iL 


206  THEOLOGY     OF    UNIVEHSALIS^J. 

!Now  all  these  passages  certainly  look  strongly  m 
tlie  direction  of  prc-existence.  I  am  not  ignorant  of 
tlie  current  criticism  of  these  texts,  but  the  most 
natural  and  easy  interpretationy  it  would  seem,  even 
in  the  face  of  prejudice,  is,  that  Christ  existed  per- 
sonally "\rith  the  Father,  before  he  came  into  this 
world  as  the  Saviour  of  men.  His  own  lanG:uao^e 
that  he  had  gloiy  with  the  Father  before  the  world 
was,  that  he  was  in  heaven,  and  came  down  from 
heaven,  that  he  was  oldei^  than  Abraham  (for  this, 
and  not  pre-eminence,  was  the  point  of  the  argument 
of  the  Jews — "Thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years  old,  and 
hast  thou  seen  Abraham?  Jesus  said  unto  them, 
'^  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  btifore  Abraham-  was,  I  am,") 
—  all  this,  surely,  is  in  evidence  that  the  Saviour  had 
personal  existence  before  the  creation  of  mankind. 

And  the  language  of  the  apostles  seems  founded 
on  this  belief — "  he  was  rich,  yet  became  poor  ;'^ 
and  "  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant,"  which 
implies  a  prior  individuality  and  choice,  on  his  part, 
as  to  the  conditions  of  his  earthly  life.  He  tooh part 
in  flesh  and  blood  voluntarily,  the  Word  loas  made 
flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us,  &c.;  which  shows  that 
there  was  a  spiiitual  existence  before  that  in  the  flesh, 
which  was  taken,  accepted,  for  the  sake  of  saving 
those  of  like  natu^-e. 

At  all  events,  this  seems  a  legitimate  conclusion 
from  the  passages  quoted ;  and  if  the  interpretation 
be  correct,  it  gives  a  point  and  meaning  to  the  ex- 
pressions already  cited,  that  he  is  botli  "-the  Son  of 
God,"  and  "  the  Son  of  Man,"  "the  only  begotten  of 
the  Father,"  the  "  first  born  of  every  creature,"  and 
that  "when  he  brinj^eth  in  the  first  bc2i;ettcn  into  the 


CHRIST HIS    NATURE,    ET€.  107 

world,  he  saith,  And  let  all  tlie  angels  of  God  wor- 
ship him."    Heb.  i.  6. 

It  must  be  plain  to  every  reader  of  tho  New  Tes- 
tament, that  Christ  is  regarded  as  xi  being  by  himself, 
diiFerent  from  all  others.  He  is  not  God  nor  an  an- 
gel, nor  an  archangel,  nor  a  man  in  the  ordinary  de- 
finition and  understanding  of  that  word. '  On  no 
other  supposition  does  the  first  chapter  of  the  Epis- 
tle to  the  Hebrews  seem  capable  of  intelligible  inter- 
pretation. The  whole  force  of  the  argument  lies  in 
this  superiority  of  Christ  to  human  and  angelic  na- 
tures. He  is  exalted  above  all  others,  sitting  "  at 
the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,"  "  far  above 
all  principality,  and  power,  and  might,  and  domin- 
ion." Eph.  i.  21  ;  Heb.  i.  He  is  in  the  counsels  of 
God,  he  is  the  representative  of  God  as  no  other  one 
is  ;  and  of  him  only  could  such  an  expression  be 
lawfully  used,  as  God  *' manifest  in  the  flesh." 
1.  Tim.  iii.  16.  And  though  believers  are  said  to  be 
"  begotten  of  God,"  and  are  called  "  sons  of  God," 
yet  of  Christ  alone  is  it  said  that,  in  a  special  and 
higher  sense  he  is  the  only  begotten  Son  of  the 
Father."  John  L  14,  18;  iii.  10,18,  In  him  the 
divine  and  human  elements  were  mingled  as  they  arc 
not  in  any  other  created  being  ;  and  by  this  peculiar 
union  of  God  and  man  in  his  nature,  he  is  pre-emi- 
nently fitted  for  the  great  work  of  instructing,  elevat- 
ing,  and  saving  mankind.     And  it  is  through  him 

'  One  of  the  most  eminent  of  the  Universalist  fathers,  Clement,  says 
of  the  nature  of  Christ,  after  setting  him  ajaart  from  men  and  angels  : 
"  It  is  the  most  perfect,  the  most  holy,  the  most  divine,  the  chiefest 
the  most  kingly  (SaaiXtKuraTrj,  and  the  most  beneficent;  and,  before  all, 
nearest  to  that  of  Ilim,  -^vho  is  alone  almighty.'*  Strom,  vii,  2,  Hag- 
enbach  §  42. 


108  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

that  we  have  access  to  the  Father :  "  I  am  the 
Way,  and  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  ;  no  man  cometb 
unto  the  Father  but  by  me,"  John  xiv.  6. 

He  is  more  to  us  than  an  example.  He  is  author- 
itative truth.  He  is  the  Light  and  Life  of  the  world. 
He  has  life  in  himself,  and  he  imparts  spiritual  life 
to  the  believer,  through  faith.  We  are  renewed  by 
him,  and  healed  by  his  touch.  When  we  truly  be- 
lieve in  him,  we  are  sanctified  by  this  belief;  we  are 
quickened  into  new  life  by  the  magnetism  of  his  spir- 
it. We  live  in  him,  as  he  lives  in  God.  He  is  the 
Wisdom  of  God,  and  the  power  of  God,  to  us  ;  they 
flow  into  our  souls  through  him,  by  faith  ;  and  so  ia 
him,  and  by  him,  we  are  united  to  God,  and  God 
dwells  in  us,  and  we  in  him.^ 

§n.  Christ  not  God— The  Trinity.  While  wc 
believe  in,  and  rejoicingly  acknowledge,  the  pre-em- 
inence of  Christ  in  all  things,  we  reject  the  doctrine 
of  his  Deity,  or  his  equality  with  God.  There  ia 
nothing  in  the  Scriptures  to  justify  the  assertion  that 
"  in  the  unity  of  the  Godhead,  there  be  three  persons 
of  one  substance,  power,  and  eternity ;  God  the 
Father,  God  the  Son,  and  God  the  Holy  Ghost — the 
Father  being  of  none,  neither  begotten  nor  proceed- 
ing ;  the  Son  eternally  begotten  of  the  Father ;  the 
Holy  Ghost  eternally  proceeding  from  the  Father  and 
the  Son."     The    whole   sweep   of  the  Old   and  Xew 

1  It  is  pi'oper  ta  say  tl^at  in  the  above  statement  respecting  the  nature 
of  Christ,  especially  in  'what  pertains  to  his  pre-cxistcnce,  I  speak  for 
myself  only.  The  denomination  as  such  is  not  committed  to  these  views; 
though  they  are  probably  largely  entertained.  The  utmost  freedom 
prevails  in  regard  to  s])eculative  doctrine.  Some  may  give  to  Jesus  a 
higher  positon,  a  nearer  relation  to  God,  than  that  of  the  text;  an4 
others  may  look  upon  him  only  as  "  the  man  Christ  Jesus,"  specially 
gifted  foy  a  special  work. 


CHRIST  —  HIS    XATUKE,    ETC.  10& 

Testaments  is  in  opposition  to  tliis  dogma,  and  while 
God  is  declared  to  be  one  and  indivisible,  Christ  is 
always  represented  to  be  subordinate  to,  and  depend- 
ent on  God,  in  all  that  he  teaches  and  all  that  he 
works.  "  There  be  that  are  called  gods,  whether  in 
heaven  or  in  earth  (as  there  be  gods  many  and  lords 
many,)  but  to  us  there  is  but  one  God,,  the  Father^  of 
whom  are  all  things,  and  we  in  him." — 1  Cor.  viii. 

There  may  be  a  few  texts,  here  and  there,  the 
phraseology  of  which  might  be  forced  into  seeming 
proof  of  the  Deity  of  Christ ;  but  if  the  doctrine 
were  true,  it  would  not  be  left  to  rest  on  a  few  doubt- 
ful passages  or  phrases,  or  on  mere  verbal  criticisms, 
as  its  only  support.  Let  us  briefly  examine  a  few  of 
these. 

I.  Criticism  of  Texts  cited  to  prove  tJie  Trinity. 
(1.)  Isaiah  ix.  6,  7.  "  For  unto  us  a  child  is  horn^ 
unto  us  a  son  is  given,^^  &c.  Note  the  following 
particulars  ;  —  1.  "A  son  is  given,^^  and  therefore 
connot  be  the  same  with  him  who  gives.  2.  The 
Son  being  called  by  the  name  of  the  Father,  does 
not  prove  him  to  be  the  same  person  as  the  Father, 
any  more  than  the  giving  an  earthly  father's  name  to 
his  son,  proves  the  son  to  be  his  father.  Those  to 
whom  the  word  of  God  came,  were  called  gods, 
John  x.  35  ;  but  this  did  not  imply  their  equality 
with  Jehovah.  3.  All  this  Jionor  in  the  way  of  ti- 
tles, and  power  in  the  extension  of  his  government,  is 
from  the  Lord  of  hosts  ;  showing  very  clearly,  that 
the  person  referred  to,  and  the  Lord  of  hosts,  are  not 
the  same. 

(2.)  Heb.  i.  9,  10.  "Unto  the  Son  he  saith, 
(who  saith  ?  the  Son  himself?)  Thy  throne^  0  Gody 
is  forever  and  ever>'* 


110  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVEESALISJI. 

Obviously  the  person  who  says  this,  and  the  per- 
son to  whom  it  is  said,  are  two  persons,  and  not  one. 
And  in  the  next  verse  we  see  the  supreme  Deity ; 
"  Thou  hast  loved  righteousness,  and  hated  iniquity  ; 
tlierefore  God,  even  thy  God,  hath  anointed  thee 
lA'ith  the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fellows."  Now,  If 
Christ  be  called  God  here,  yet  there  is  another  who 
is  Ms  God,  his  superior,  anointing  him  for  his  holy 
office,  and  placing  him  above  his  fellows.  He  who 
does  this,  and  he  to  whom  it  is  done,  are  distinct  be- 

insrs,  the  one  subordinate   to  the   other  :  or  the  lan- 
es '  ■' 

guage  is  without  sense  or  meaning. 

(3.)  John  X.  30.  "  /  and  my  Father  are  oneJ'^ 
Not  in  person  nor  in  substance,  but  in  thought  and 
purpose  respecting  the  salvation  of  the  world.  "For 
this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  father  and  mother,  and 
shall  cleave  to  his  wife ;  and  they  twain  shall  be  one 
flesJi.''^  Matt.  xix.  What  language  is  stronger  than 
this  ?  but  in  what  sense  are  husband  and  wife  one 
flesh?  Are  they  one  person  only,  or  two  persons, 
who  are  one   in  affections,  aims  and  labors  ? 

The  same  thought  is  expressed  in  1  Cor.  iii.  8.  '*  I 
have  planted,  Apollos  watered.  .  .  .  Now  he  that 
planteth,  and  he  that  watereth,  are  one."  Did  Paul 
mean  to  say  that  he  and  Apollos  were  the  same  per- 
son ?  or  that  they  were  one  spirit  dwelling  in  two 
bodies  ?  Of  course  not;  but  only  that  with  one  pur- 
pose and  will,  they  were  working  to  one  end,  viz  : 
The  promotion  of  Christian  truth,  and  the  Christian 
life,  in  the  Corinthian  church.  And  hence  he  argues 
that  there  should  be  no  divisions,  no  strifes,  among 
the  believers ;  but  that  they  should  all  labor  together 
for  the  Gospel  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 


CHRIST  —  IlIS    NATURE,   ETC.  Ill 

In  chapter  xvii.  Jesus  prays  respecting  his  discljles, 
"  that  they  may  be  one,  as  wq  are^  Did  he  mean 
that  the  twelve  should  be  one  person  only,  or  one  in 
spirit  and  love,  one  in  the  work  of  salvation,  as  he 
and  the  Father  were  ?  So  in  the  21st  verse  he  prays 
that  all  believers  ''  miy  be  one,  as  thou  Father  art  iu 
mc,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us." 
That  is,  one  in  mind  and  heart ;  otherwise  being  one 
with  God  would  make  thirteen  or  fourteen,  instead  of 
three,  persons  in  the  Godhead, 

(4.)  1  John  V.  7.  "  For  there  are  three  that  hear 
record  in  heaven^  the  Father^  the  Word^  and  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  and  these  three  are  oneJ^ 

Admitting  the  genuineness  of  this  text,  its  mean- 
ing is  obviously  the  same  with  that  of  the  preced- 
ing, "  I  and  my  Father  are  one  ;  "  i,  e.  one  in  their 
witness  to  the  truth  of  the  Divine  love  and  grace 
as  manifested  in  the  Gospel ;  one  in  spirit  and  pur- 
pose touching  the  redemption  of  mankind.  See  the 
context.  But  the  text  is,  beyond  question,  an  inter- 
polation, as  Manuscripts  and  Versions  abundantly 
demonstrate.^ 

(5.)  Col.  i.  15—20.  "WTio  is  the  image  of  the 
invisible  God.  .  .  .  For  by  him  were  all  things  creat- 
ed that  are  in  heaven^'  &c.  This  is  very  strong  lan- 
guage, but  observe:  1.  He  of  whom  this  is  spoken 
is  not  the  invisible  supreme  God,  but  the  image  of 
him.  The  likeness  or  portrait  of  a  person,  is  not 
the  person  himself.  2.  Immediately  following  this, 
w^e  have  this  statement :  "  For  it  pleased  the  Father 
that  in  him  should  all  fulness  dwell,"  <&c.     Here  the 

^  See  the  author's  "  Christianity  against  Infidelity."  2d  edition, 
page  192, 


112 


THEOLOGY    OF   UXIVERSALISM. 


distinction  between  the  Father  as  supreme,  and  the 
Son  as  subordinate,  is  set  forth  again.  It  is  all  ac- 
cording to  the  pleasure  of  the  Father  ;  and  the  very 
creative  and  redeeming  fulness  of  the  Son  dwells  in 
him  by  the  Father's  appointment,  and  is  derived  from 
the  Father. 

(6.)  Kom.  ix.  5.  "  Of  whom  as  concerning  the 
fl'ssh  Christ  came^  who  is  over  all,  God  Messed  for 
ever.     Amen.'' 

This  is  simply  an  exclamation.  The  allusion  to 
the  incarnation  of  Jesus,  brings  out  the  phrase  of 
thankso^ivino; — "  God  blessed  forever,"  or  "  Blessed 
be  Grod  forever."  The  expression  of  Thomas  is  in 
the  same  line,  when,  putting  his  finger  into  the 
wounded  side,  he  exclaimed,  "  My  Lord  !  and  my 
God!"     John  XX.  2T. 

(7.)  John  i.  1-14.  "  In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word,  and  the  Word  teas  loith  God,  and  the  Wo7'd 
was  God.  The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with 
God;'  <&c. 

Allowing  this  to  refer  to  Christ  personally,  and  not 
to  the  Divme  Wisdom  or  Fnergy  taking  human  form 
in  him,  we  still  see  the  distinction  of  person  kept  up. 
We  cannot  suppose  that  the  Word  was  God  in  the 
same  sense  it  is  said  to  be  with  God.  A  person  can- 
not properly  be  said  to  be  with  himself.  But  the  dis- 
tinction is  definitely  stated,  in  the  usual  form,  in  verse 
14  :  The  Word  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among 
us  and  w^e  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only 
be.jT^otten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth." 
Here  the  Word  is  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father  ; 
but  he  who  begets  is  not  surely  the  same  person  wuth 
him'  who   is   begotten  —  the  one    gives  life,  and   the 


CHRIST — HIS   NATURE,   ETC.  113 

Other  receives  life  —  nnd  the  first  is  certainly  antece- 
dent to  the  last.  But  the  simple  intention  of  John  is 
undoubtedly  to  declare,  that  the  Word,  Logos,  the 
Divine  Energy  cr  Wisdom,  was  with  God  as  an  at- 
tribute, a  part  of  his  being  ;  and  was  God,  in  the  sense 
in  which  a  man's  thought,  or  his  mind,  may  be  said 
to  be  the  man  himself.  This  Word,  or  Spiritual  En- 
ergy,^ "  "^^s  made  flesh,"  or,  in  other  words,  dwelt  in 
Jesus  ;  it  was  the  spirit  "  v/ithout  measure  "  given 
unto  him  by  the  Father,  and  through  the  inspiration 
of  which  he  was  "  full  of  grace  and  truth." 

(8.)  1  John  V.  20.  '*  And  we  hiow  the  Son  of 
God  is  come,  and  hath  given  lis  an  understanding, 
that  we  may  Jcnoto  him  that  is  true,  and  we  are  in 
him  that  is  true,  even  in  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  This 
is  the  true  God,  and  eternal  life  J' 

Can  any  one,  who  has  no  theory  to  defend,  per- 
suade himself  that  the  phrases  "  the  Son  of  God  is 
come,"  and  "  this  is  the  true  God,"  refer  to  the  same 
person?  Can  the  true  God  be  the  Son  of  himself? 
Our  translators  have  supplied  the  word  "  even," 
making  "  him  that  is  true,"  and  "  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ  "  the  same.  But  the  word  "  and  "  is  equally 
authorized,  and  more  consistent :  "  We  are  in  him 
that  is  true,"  i.  e.  God  the  Father,  "  and  in  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ."  This  is  the  true  God,"  who  ?  The 
God  of  whom  he  had  been  speaking  all  along,  prior 
to  this  verse,  and  whose  Son  '*  is  come,  and  hath 
given  us  understanding,  that  we  may  know  him  that 

^Origen,  who  believed  iii  the  "  eternal  generatiou"  of  the  Son,  and 
even  calls  him  a  second  Go  J,  ^(brcpoi  0i6s,  still  insists  on  his  inferiority 
tQ  the  Father  in  essence  and  rank.  He  is  worthy  of  all  honor,  after 
the  God  of  the  universe,  ^eru  t6vO(6v  rwv  hXuv.  Contra  Cclsum  and  De 
Oral. 


114  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

IS  true,"  i.  e.  know  him  whom  the  Son  reveals  to  he 
the  true  God  ;  and  this  is  ^'  eternal  life."  The  same 
idea,  and  the  same  words  almost,  are  in  the  gospel 
xvii.  3  :  "  And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might 
knovr  thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ 
whom  thou  hast  sent." 

(9.)  Phil.  ii.  6.  "  WTio^  heing  in  the  form  o/ 
God^  thought  it  not  rohhery  to  he  equal  with  God,*'' 
Archbishop  Newcome  gives  the  true  sense  : — "  Did 
not  eagerly  covet  to  be  equal  with  God."  The  word 
rendered  "  robbery,  "  signifies  the  thing  stolen,  the 
prey,  the  object  seized  ;  and  the  simple  meaning  of 
the  language  is,  that  Jesus,  though  in  the  form  and 
likeness  of  God,  did  not  think  he  should  eagerly  seize 
on,  or  assume,  an  equality  with  God;  but,  so  far 
from  such  unholy  ambition,  "  made  himself  of  no  re- 
putation, and  took  upon  himself  the  form  of  a  servant, 
and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men."  The  present 
translation  completely  defeats  the  object  of  the  apos- 
tle, which  was  to  teach  a  lesson  of  humility,  from  the 
example  of  Christ.  But  what  humility  was  there  in 
aspiring  to  be  equal  with  God  ?  "  Let  this  mind  be 
in  you  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus."  The  whole 
point  of  the  exhortation  lies  in  the  fact  that  Christ, 
being  in  the  likeness  or  fomi  of  God,  did  not  seek  to 
be  equal  with  God,  but  "  took  upon  himself  the  form 
of  a  servant,  and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  man, 
and  humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.  Wherefore  God 
also  highly  exalted  him,"  &c.  Verses  5-11.  But 
how  could  God  liighly  exalt  him  If  he  was  already 
equal  to  God  ?  And  how  could  it  be  said  that  God 
exalted  him  at  all,  if  he  himself  were  God  ? 


CHRIST — 'HIS   NATURE,   ETC.  115 

II.  Scriptural  proof  against  the  Deity  of  Christ, 
Let  us  come  now  to  the  positive  proof  that  Christ 
is  not  the  supreme  God,  but  subordinate  to,  and  de- 
pendent on  him,  for  all  things. 

(1.)  Jesus  always  acknowledged  the  supremacy  of 
the  Father^  and  his  own  dependence  on  him, 

"  My  Father  is  greater  than  I."  John  xiv.  When 
he  said  "my  Father,"  did  he  mean  himself?  did  he 
mean  that  he  was  greater  than  himself?  or  greater 
when  acting;  as  Father  than  when  actins:  as  Son  ? 
What  is  the  honest  interpretation  of  such  lano-uage  ? 
"The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself,  but  what  he 
sceth  the  Father  do."  John  v.  What  would  the 
people  infer  from  this  —  that  he  who  uttered  it  was 
the  Almighty  God  ?  "  My  doctrine  is  not  mine,  but 
his  that  sent  me."  John  vii.  Are  we  to  understand 
from  this  that  in  the  capacity  of  Father  he  sent  him- 
self in  the  capacity  of  Son;  and  that  while  his  doc- 
trines were  not  his  own  as  the  sent,  t\\Qj  were  his 
own  as  the  sender  ?  "  As  my  Father  taught  me,  I 
ppeak  these  things."  John  viii.  "  To  sit  on  my 
right  hand,  and  on  my  left,  is  not  mine  to  give,  but  it 
shall  be  given  to  them  for  whom  it  is  prepared  of  my 
Father,"  Matt.  xx.  Yet  if  he  were  God,  it  was 
his  to  give.  "  Of  that  day  and  that  hour  knoweth 
no  man ;  no,  not  the  angels  in  heaven,  neither  the 
Son,  but  my  Father  only."  Mark  xiii.,  Matt.  xxiv. 
But  if  the  Father  and  Son  were  the  same  beinsf,  it 
was  not  possible  that  he  should  not  know  as  Son 
what  he  knew  as  Father.  "  My  God,  my  God,  why 
hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  "  -Matt,  xxvii.  Was  this 
cry  of  anguish  and  desolation  addressed  to  himself? 

These  are  examples  of  the  direct  and  positive  asser- 


116  THEOLOGY    OF    UXI VHERSALISM. 

tions  of  Jesus  himself,  that  he  was  only  the  sen'ant 
and  agent  of  God,  by  whose  authority  and  help  he 
eaid  and  did  everything.  He  does  not  know  all 
things,  all  times  and  events  —  this  infinite  knowledge 
belongs  to  the  Father  only.  All  his  doctrines  and 
miracles  are  from  one  greater  than  himself,  who  alone 
is  almighty  and  all-wise.  He  is  not  God,  but  the 
Son  of  God,  and  all  wisdom  and  power  are  given  him 
of  the  Father.  And  in  confirmation  of  this  he  con- 
tinually expressed  the  sense  of  his  dependence  on  God 
by  prayer.  "  He  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to 
God."  Luke  vi.  "  Sit  ye  here  while  I  go  and  pray." 
Matt,  xxvi.,  Mark  i.  vi.,  Luke  v.  ix.  xxii.  If  he 
were  God  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  praying? 
Would  he  seek  of  himself  the  power  and  guidance 
and  support,  which  he  knew  he  already  possessed  in 
himself?  Was  the  prayer  in  spirit  or  in  form  only  ? 
a  true  expression  of  weakness  and  dependence  on  his 
part,  or  a  deception  practised  on  those  who  followed 
him? 

(2.)  The  conduct  and  testimony  of  his  disciples 
show  that  they  did  not  believe  him  to  he  God. 

It  is  not  possible  to  believe  that  the  twelve,  who 
were  continually  with  him,  really  supposed  they  were 
keeping  company  with  the  almighty  Jehovah,  taberna- 
cled in  a  human  body  ;  eating,  drinking,  sleeping,  walk- 
ing and  conversing  with  him.  If  they  did  believe  that 
Jesus  was  actually  the  omnipotent,  omniscient  God, 
the  Creator  and  Ruler  of  the  universe  ;  they  were  the 
most  extraordinary  men  the  world  ever  saw,  and  their 
conduct  towards  him  sets  at  defiance  all  the  ordinary 
principles  upon  which  we  interpret  human  action. 

Can  any  reasonable  man  convince  himself  that  the 


CHRIST — HIS   NATURE,   ETC.  117 

disciples,  impressed  witli  the  tremendous  fact  that 
this  Jesus  was  the  great  God  himself,  would,  as  they 
did,  argue  with  him,  advise,  reprove,  betray,  deny 
and  forsake  him,  with  cowardly  fear,  in  the  presence 
of  his  human  enemies  ?  Could  they  have  been  so 
free  and  familiar  in  their  intercourse  with  him  ?  could 
they  have  lost  their  faith  in  him,  and  abandoned  their 
work  in  despair,  if  all  the  while  they  knew  he  was 
the  Lord  Almighty  ?  Do  the  simple  and  plain  nar- 
ratives of  the  Gospels  anywhere  —  not  to  say  every- 
where^ as  they  would,  if  it  were  true — indicate  to  the 
reader  that  the  men  who  wrote,  wrote  under  the 
pressure  of  the  awful  and  ever  present  thought,  that 
they  were  giving  us  the  history  of  God's  life  on 
earth  ?  of  the  sayings  and  doings  of  the  Infinite  Je- 
hovah vdiom  they  knew,  and  with  whom  they  met 
and  talked,  face  to  face,  for  the  space  of  three  years  ? 

They  always  speak  of  him  as  inferior  and  subject 
nj  God ;  as  sent,  anointed,  inspired,  directed,  sup- 
ported, exalted,  raised  from  the  dead  by  God;  as 
the  agent,  servant,  the  Son,  the  Beloved  of  God  ;  as 
a  Mediator,  a  Priest,  a  Man,  the  Image,  the  Begotten, 
the  First-born  of  God.  "  There  is  one  God,  and  one 
Mediator  between  God  and  men,  the  man  Christ 
Jesus."  "  Who  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God, 
the  first-bom  of  every  creature."  "  This  Jesus  hath 
God  raised."  "  God  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with 
the  Holy  Ghost."  "  When  all  things  shall  be  sub- 
dued under  him,  then  shall  the  Son  also  himself  be 
subject  unto  him  that  put  all  things  under  him,  that 
God  may  be  all  in  all."  1  Tim.  ii..  Col.  i..  Acts  ii., 
X.,  xvii.,  1  Cor.  xv.  &c. 

This   language    applied  everywhere    to  Christ  is 


118  THEOLOGY  OF  UNI  VERS  ALISM. 

wholly  irrcconcUeable  wit)i  the  supposition  that  the 
writers  believed  him  to  be  the  only  living  and  true 
God,  supreme  in  all  things.  Look  at  the  last  two 
passages  from  the  stand-point  of  the  Trinity,  that  the 
Fatlier,  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost  are  one  and  the 
same  beino; — "  God  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,"  i.  e.,  God  anointed  God  with  God. 
Is  this  what  Peter  intended  to  say?  Is  this  what  the 
Jews  and  Gentiles  understood  him  to  say  ?  and  was 
it  to  this  unintelligible  doctrine  that  Cornelius  and 
his  family  were  converted  ? 

Then  the  Son  being  subject  to  him  who  put  all 
things  under  him,  that  God  may  be  all  in  all.  Did 
Paul  really  write  this  under  the  impression  that  the 
subject  Son  and  the  God  who  is  all  in  all,  were  one 
and  the  same  ?  that  he  who  put  all  things  under  Je- 
su?,  was  this  Jesus  himself?  and  that  when  in  a  pre- 
ceding verse  he  speaks  of  his  "  delivering  up  the  king- 
dom to  God,  even  the  Father,"  he  was  himself  the 
God  and  Father  to  whom  he  delivered  up  the  king- 
dom ? 

Surely  there  is  but  one  fair  and  honest  interpreta- 
tion of  such  language  from  the  lips  of  the  disciples 
and  apostles ;  and  that  is,  that  it  was  spoken  out  of 
an  unquestioning  conviction  on  their  part,  that  he 
was  the  Son  and  not  the  Father  in  any  sense,  subor- 
dinate to  God,  coming  from  him  and  returning  to 
him  ;  receiving  his  power  and  wisdom,  his  kingdom 
and  all  things  from  God,  and  finally  surrendering  all 
things  back  again  to  him.  And  since  they  were  con- 
stantly with  him,  and  heard  all  his  public  testimonies, 
and  all  liis  private  conversations,  and  therefore  cer- 
tainly had  the  best  means  of  knowing  his  true  char-' 


CHRIST  —  IirS    IsMTUKE,  ETC.  119 

acter,  we  think  it  safe  to  follow  tliem  in  faith,  and 
accept  their  verdict  in  the  case. 

(3.)  Christ  expressly  and  positively  denied  that 
he  was  God,  when  charged  with  claiming  to  he  so  hy 
the  Jews, 

"  Therefore  the  Jews  sought  the  more  to  kill  him, 
because  he  not  only  had  broken  the  Sabbath,  but 
said  also  that  God  was  his  Father,  making  himself 
equal  with  God."  John  v.  17-23.  Now,  how  did 
Jesus  meet  this  false  inference  from  his  lano^uao-e  ? 
He  did  say  that  God  was  his  Father,  and  the  Jews 
pretended  from  this  that  he  made  himself  equal  with 
God,  in  the  same  sense  that  the  son,  come  to  manhood, 
is  the  equal  with  his  father.  The  point  is,  that  by 
claiming  God  as  his  Father,  he  claimed  — not  that  he 
was  God  himself,  for  parent  and  child  are  not  one,  or 
the  same  person,  but — that  he  was,  in  all  respects, 
of  the  same  nature  and  essence  with  God  ;  as  the  son 
is,  in  all  respects,  of  the  same  nature,  and,  mentally 
and  bodily,  the  equal  of  his  father. 

But  even  this  the  Saviour  promptly  and  directly 
denies.  He  assures  the  Jews  that  he  does  not  claim 
to  be  of  the  same  nature  and  essence  w^ith  God,  or 
his  equal  in  anything,  because  he  calls  God  his 
Father.  God  is  self-existent ;  and  he  is  be2:otten 
and  created.  God  is  of  himself  all  in  all ;  and  he  is 
dependent.  God  has  spiritual  life  in  himself ;  but  to 
him  it  is  given.  Then  answered  Jesus  and  said  unto 
them,  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  the  Son  can  do 
nothing  of  himself,  but  what  he  sceth  the  Father  do. 
....  I  can  of  mine  own  self  do  nothino;  :  as  I  hear  I 
judge,"  &c.  Ver.  30.  Nothing  is  plainer  than  that 
Jesus  here  rebuts  the  false  charge  of  making  himself 


120  THEOLOGY    or   UNIYEKSALTSM. 

cquiil  with  God,  by  acknowledging  that  he  was  whol- 
ly dependent  upon  him  ;  deriving  from  him  his  life, 
knowledge,  and  miraculous  powers,  and  doing  only 
those  things  that  the  Father  gave  him  authority  to 
do  in  his  name.  * 

But  there  is  another  passage  even  more  direct  to 
the  point  than  this,  where  the  Jews  accused  him  of 
claiming  to  be  not  equal  with  God,  but  God  himself:. 
The  record  of  the  occasion  and  circumstances  is  in 
John  X.  30-38.  Jesus  had  said  in  their  presence,  "  I 
and  my  Father  are  one,"  whereupon  they  "  took  up 
stones  to  stone  him  ;  "  and  Jesus  asking  why  they 
stoned  him,  they  answered,  "For  blasphemy,  and 
because  that  thou,  being  a  man,  makest  thyself 
God.  " 

Now,  how  did  Jesus  meet  this  charge  ?  If  he  were 
really  God,  the  charge  was  true,  and  this  was  the 
time,  of  all  others,  to  declare  his  Deity.  The  occa- 
sion, his  character,  the  truth,  everything  demanded 
that  he  should  assert  openly  that  he  was  God  the 
Almighty,  if  this  were  the  fact.  Does  he  do  this  ? 
Does  he  say  plainly,  "It  is  not  blasphemy  for  me  to 
make  myself  God,  for  I  am  GodP''  No  ;  not  a  word 
of  this  sort ;  but  the  record  says  : — "  Jesus  answered 
tlicm.  Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said,  ye  are 
gods  ?     If  he  called  them  gods,  unto  whom  the  word 

*-  And  this  reply  and  denial  of  Jesus  shows  the  en'or  of  the  transla- 
tion in  Phil.  ii.  6.  "  Who  being  in  the  form  of  God  thought  it  not 
robbery  to  be  equal  with  God."  This  is  what  he  was  accused  of  by  the 
Jews,  and  expressly  repudiates.  If  he  "  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be 
equal  with  God,"  if  he  was  equal  w^ith  God,  why  did  he  deny  it  to  the 
Jews  ?  Why  did  he  not  rather  admit  the  fact,  and  defend  it  instead  of 
Eaj Lng,  "  I  can  do  nothing  of  myself." 


CHRIST — IIIS   NATURE,    ETC.  121 

of  God  came,  and  the  Scriptures  cannot  be  broken  ; 
say  ye  of  him  whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified,  and 
sent  into  the  work!,  Thou  blasphemest  because  1 
said,  I  am  the  Son  of  GodV 

Here  is  a  direct  and  unqualified  denial  of  the 
charge  that  he  was  God,  and  a  re-assertion  of  the  old 
truth  that  he  was  only  the  Son  of  God ;  and  that  this 
was  all  he  intended  by  the  words  to  which  they  had 
taken  exception — "  I  and  my  Father  are  one."  ^  Now 
if  Jesus  was  truly  God,  how  could  he  meet  the 
charge  in  this  way  ?  How  can  the  Trinitarian,  after 
this  reply  of  the  Saviour,  still  maintain  that  he  is 
God,  without  virtually  charging  him  with  dishonesty  ? 
And  observe  how  carefully  all  the  attendant  particu- 
lars are  phrased  to  illustrate  his  denial,  and  show  his 
dependent  and  subordinate  character  ;  viz.,  that  the 
Father  had  sanctified  him,  had  him  sent  into  the 
world,  and,  in  the  next  verse,  that  the  works  he 
did  were  the  Father's.  I  see  not  how  it  is  possible, 
in  the  face  of  this  record,  to  affirm  the  Deity  of 
Christ,  without  compromising  his  character  for  integ- 
rity, honesty,  and  truth. 

(4.)  The  whole  tenor  and  drift  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment  is  to  the  point  that  Christ  is  inferior  to  God^ 
who  is  alone  Eternal^  Infinite^  and  Supreme. 

It  is  a  just  rule  in  reading  a  book  where  some  pas- 
sages are  obscure,  or  unintelligible,  or  in  seeming 
contradiction  to  other  passages,  to  appeal  to  the  gene- 
ral tenor  or  sense  of  the  whole  ;  and  thus  seek  to  get  at 

'  Is  it  not  singular  that  Christians  should  make  the  same  mistake 
which  the  Jews  made  in  regard  to  this  saying  of  Jesus,  "I  and  my 
Father  are  one;  "  and  that  they  should  persist  in  forcing  upon  it  a 
meaning  Avhich  he  so  positively  disavows  ? 


122  THEOLOGY    OF   UXIVERSALISM. 

the  true  im2:)ort  of  the  doubtful,  through  the  evident 
intent  and  meaning  of  the  entire  book.  In  order  to 
illustrate  this  point,  and  exhibit  the  weight  of  the  ar- 
gument, I  shall  introduce  the  following  summary  of 
texts  : 

1st.  Those  passages  in  the  New  Testament,  in 
which  the  Father  is  styled  one  or  only  God,  are 
in  number  17. 

2d.  Those  passages  where  he  Is  styled  God,  abso- 
lutely^ by  way  of  eminence  and  supremacy^  are  in 
number  320. 

3d.  Those  passages  where  he  Is  styled  God,  with 
peculiarly  high  titles  and  ejnthets  or  attributes,  are  in 
number  105. 

4th.  Those  passages  wherein  It  Is  declared  that  all 
prayers  and  praises  ought  to  be  offered  to  htm,  and 
that  every  thing  ought  ultimately  to  be  directed  to 
HIS  honor  and  glory,  are  in  number  90. 

5th.  Passages  wherein  the  Son  is  declared  positive- 
ly, and  by  the  clearest  Implication,  to  be  subordinate 
to  the  Father,  deriving  His  being  from  Him,  receiv- 
ing from  Him  his  divine  power,  and  acting  in  all 
things  wholly  according  to  the  will  of  the  Father,  are 
in  number  above  300. 

6th.  Of  1300  passages  in  the  New  Testament, 
where  the  word  God  is  mentioned,  not  one  of  them 
necessarily  implies  a  plurality  of  persons.  ^ 

Such  are   the  Scriptural  grounds  on  which  we  rc- 

*  Grundy's  Lectures,  -where  the  passages  are  quoted  in  full.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  above  may  be  counted  2,000  i)assages  from  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, in  which  the  oneness  of  God  is  positively  asserted,  or  evidently 
implied.  See  also  Wilson's  Scriptural  Proofs  of  Unitarianism,  where 
the  texts  are  classified  according  to  the  thought. 


THE    ATONEMENT.  123 

jcct  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  and  affirm  that  God 
is  one  onl}^  ;  and  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of 
God,  inferior  and  subordinate  to  him,  but  sancti^ed, 
and  gifted,  and  exalted,  by  him,  above  all  other  be- 
ings, angels  and  men  ;  and  sent  into  the  world  as  his 
Image,  the  Brightness  of  his  glory,  the  Representa- 
tive of  his  truth  and  love,  the  Example,  the  Sancti- 
fier  and  Saviour  of  the  world. 

SECTION      II. 

THE   ATONEMENT,  WHAT   IT  IS,    AND   HOW    WE   ARE    RECONCILED 
AND  SAVED  BY  THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST. 

The  word  "  Atonement "  is  one  of  those  theologi- 
cal terms,  the  true  meaning  of  which  has  been  sadly 
perverted ;  and  the  beautiful  and  tender  thought 
which  it  expresses  in  the  Scriptures,  overlaid  with 
the  errors  and  coarse  definitions  of  the  schools  and 
creeds. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  this  word,  which  occupies 
BO  large  a  space  in  the  theological  literature,  and  sec- 
tarian controversies,  of  our  time,  is  found  only  once 
in  the  New  Testament.  Eom.  v.  11.  And  the  use 
of  it  in  this  passage  is  so  directly  in  conflict  with  the 
meaning  commonly  attached  to  it,  that  it  is  a  marvel 
how  it  ever  came  to  signify  substitution,  or  the  suf- 
ferino:  of  Christ  in  the  sense  of  satisfaction  to  Divine 
Justice. 

The  meaning  of  the  original  word  is  wide  enough 
from  this  idea,  and  is  properly  expressed  in  every 
other  passage  where  it  occurs,  by  the  English  word 
"  reconciliation."     And  this  was  the  meaning  of  the 


124  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

word  "  atonement  "  in  early  English,  and  at  tlie  tiine 
the  present  translation  Avas  made.  It  has  passed  out 
of  this  into  its  present  narrow  and  perverted  sense, 
since  that  day.  A  few  references  to  earher  literature 
will  illustrate  this  point. 

Johnson,  the  lexicographer,  states  that  the  primi- 
tive  meaning  of  the  word  was  "  to  agr-:e^  to  accord."^ 
And  he  quotes  from  Shakespeare,  who  was  contem- 
porary with  our  translators,  in  proof  of  this  : 

**  He  and  Aufidius  can  no  more  atone 
Than  violentest  contrariety." 

Trench,  in  his  Glossary  of  English  Words,  gives 
the  following  illustrations  of  its  early  usage  : 

"  His  first  essay  succeeded  so  well,  Moses  would 
venture  on  a  second  design,  to  atone  two  Israelites  at 
variance." 

"  Havinix  more  reo-ard  to  their  old  variance  than 
their  new  atonement.'''' 

"  If  Sir  John  Falstaff  have  committed  disparage- 
ment unto  you,  I  am  of  the  Church,  and  will  be  glad 
to  do  my  benevolence,  to  make  atonements  and  com- 
promises between  you."-^ 

In  all  these  examples,  "  atone  "  signifies  agreement ^ 
or  reconciliation^  being  put  in  opposition  to  "  con- 
trariety," "  variance,"  "  hostility,"  &c.  Originally 
it  was  written  as  two  words,  joined  by  a  hyphen,  and 
pronounced  thus,  at-one  ;  and  the  noun  at-one-ment^ 
meaning  a  state  of  oneness  or  unity. 

In   the   Apocrypha  the  translators  have  used   the 

1  Coriolanus,  Act.  iv.  Sc.  6.  Fuller's  Pisgah  Sight  of  Palestine,  n 
92.  Uoore's  Histonj  of  Richard  III,  Mernj  fVives  of  Windsor 
Act  i.  Sc.  1. 


THE  ATONEMENT.  125 

word  in  this  form  :  "  Then  cried  they  to  Simon,  be- 
seeching them  to  be  at-one  with  them,"  referring  to 
those  besieged  in  the  tower  at  Jerusalem.  1  Macca- 
bees xiii.  50.  So  in  the  second  book  of  Maccabees, 
where  the  wish  is  expressed  that  God  "  would  hear 
your  prayers  and  be  at^one  with  you,"  i.  5.  And 
again  it  is  written :  '*  Though  the  Lord  be  angry 
with  us  a  little  while  for  our  chastening  and  correc- 
tion, yet  sh-all  he  be  at-ouQ  again  with  his  servants," 
yii.  33.  And  in  the  New  Testament  we  have  this 
use  of  the  word  :  "  The  next  day  he  showed  himself 
unto  them  as  they  strove,  and  would  have  set  them 
at'One  again."  Acts  vii.  26  ;  i.  e.  would  have  atoned 
or  reconciled  them. 

The  Book  of  Homilies,  of  the  Church  of  England, 
employs  the  term  in  the  same  sense  in  reference  to 
Christ's  death,  though  it  falsely  apphes  it  to  God 
instead  of  man.  ^  The  New  Testament  never  speaks 
of  God  being  reconciled  to  man,  but  it  is  always  man 
who  is  reconciled  to  God.  Hence  in  the  passage  al- 
ready named,  the  only  one  in  which  the  word  atone- 
ment is  used,  we  have  it  in  this  form  :  "  But  we  also 
joy  in  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whcm 
we  have  now  received  the  atonement^  Rom.  v.  11. 
It  is  we  who  have  been  atoned  or  reconciled  to  God, 
not  God  to  us.  And  this  is  the  uniform  witness  of 
the  Gospel ;  and  it  shows  how  utterly  unfounded  is 
the  common  doctrine  of  God's  wrath  against  man, 
and  the  necessity  of  Christ's  sacrificial  death  in  order 
to  satisfy  his  offended  justice.  Let  us  see  how  thia 
stands  in  the  sacred  text. 

»  See  Noble's  Lectures  on  Important  Doctrines,  pp,  368-370. 


12G  THEOLOGY    OF   UNI  VERBALISM. 

Eom.  y.  10,  11.  "  For  if,  when  we  were  enemies, 
we  were  reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son, 
much  more  being  reconciled,  we  shall  be  saved  by 
his  life,"  &c,  2  Cor.  v.  18--20.  "  All  things  are  of 
God,  who  hath  reconciled  us  to  himself  by  Jesus 
Christ,  and  hath  given  to  us  the  ministry  of  reconcili- 
ation ;  to  wit,  that  God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the 
world  unto  himself^  not  imputing  their  trespasses 
unto  them  ;  and  hath  committed  unto  us  the  word  of 
reconciliation.  Now,  then,  we  are  ambassadors  for 
Christ,  as  though  God  did  beseech  you  by  us  ;  we 
pray  you,  in  Christ's  stead,  he  ye  reconciled  to  God.^^ 
Rom.  xi.  15.  "  The  reconciling  of  the  worUV  1 
Cor.  vii.  11.  "  Let  her  remain  unmarried,  or  be  re- 
conciled to  her  husband." 

These  are  all  the  passages  in  the  Kew  Testament 
where  the  Greek  word  rendered  atonement  occurs ; 
and,  as  we  see,  in  every  instance  but  one  it  is  rendered 
by  the  word  "  reconciliation,"  in  its  substantive  or 
verbal  form.  The  idea  embodied  in  the  word  is  ob- 
vious enough,  and  the  doctrine  is  plain  and  positive 
beyond  mistake  or  dispute.  It  is  we  who  are  ene- 
mies to  God,  not  he  an  enemy  to  us.  We  are  the 
unreconciled  party  ;  and  the  object  of  Christ's  death, 
and  the  whole  aim  and  intent  of  the  Gospel,  is  this 
one  thing  - —  to  reconcile  man  to  God.  This  is  the 
true  atonement,  and  this  is  all  that  is  embodied  in  the 
figures  of  a  Sacrifice,  a  Mediator,  Intercessor,  Advo- 
cate, &c.  There  is  no  suffering  of  punishment  in  the 
place  of  the  guilty  world;  no  infliction  of  the  penal- 
ties of  the  violated  law  on  one  who  never  offended ; 
no  satisfaction  rendered  to  inexorable  justice  ;  no  con- 
fusion of  God  the  judge  and  executioner,  and  God  the 


THE   ATONEMENT*  127 

Victim  and  sufferer;  nothiDg  vicarious  or  substitu- 
tiocal,  in  any  sense  whatever,  in  this  scriptural  pre- 
sentation of  the  subject.  '  God  was  in  Christ  recon- 
ciling the  world  unto  himself,  and  the  burthen  of  the 
ministry  of  reconciliation  is  simply  this- — "  Be  ye  re- 
conciled to  God."  Hence  the  apostle  declares  that 
"  it  pleased  the  Father  that  in  him  should  all  fulness 
dwell  ;  and,  having  made  peace  through  the  blood  of 
his  cross,  by  him  to  reconcile  all  things  unto  himself; 
by  him,  whether  things  in  earth,  or  things  in  heaven." 
Col.  i.  19,  20. 

And  it  is  at  this  point  where  we   see  the  union  of 
God  and  Christ  in  the  salvation  of  man.     In  the  pre- 

1  Those  who  woulcl  see  to  what  extent  of  blasphemy  a  creed  may  go 
respecting  Christ's  suffering  as  our  substitute^  may  consult  Luther's 
comment  on  Gal.  iii.  13.  I  have  not  courage  to  quote  it;  but  it  may 
be  found  in  I^oyes'  Introduction  to  his  "Collection  of  Theological 
Essays,"  a  most  valuable  article.  It  is  instructive  to  follow  the  grad- 
ual growth  of  reasonable  views  on  the  subject,  from  Luther's  day  to 
the  pi-esent.  Dr.  Noyes  has  shown  the  way.  The  following  specimen 
will  illustrate  one  stage  of  the  growth.  It  is  from  Flavel,  whose  works 
are  still  published  by  the  American  Tract  Society  :  "  To  wrath,  to  the 
wrath  of  an  infinite  God  without  mixture,  to  the  very  torments  of  hell, 
was  Christ  delivered,  and  that  by  the  hands  of  his  own  Father."  "  It 
was  wrath  aggravated  in  diverse  respects  beyond  that  whicn  the  damned 
themselves  do  suffer."  Per  contra,  those  who  would  see  what  pro- 
gress has  been  made  in  regard  to  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement,  even  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Church,  may  read  the  Essays  by  Jowett  on  "  The 
Atonement,"  the  "  Imputation  of  the  sin  of  Adam,"  &c.,  in  his  Com- 
mentai-y  on  Paul's  Epistles,  or  in  Noyes's  Collection.  Rev.  Charles 
KixGSLEY,  also  of  the  English  Church,  and  one  of  the  most  popular 
authors  of  the  day,  himself  a  Universalist,  in  his  preface  to  the  "  Fool 
of  Quality,"  by  Henry  Brooke,  who  was  also  a  Universalist,  speaka 
severely  of  the  creeds  which  teach  that  God  "  will  doom  to  endless  tor- 
ture the  vast  majority  of  the  human  race;  while  he  has  made,  for  the 
purpose  of  delivering  a  very  small  minority,  a  certain  highly  artificial 
urrangenient  (the  atonement,)  to  be  explained  by  no  human  notions 
of  justice  or  of  love;  "  thus  making  *'  the  divine  morality  utterly  diff- 
erent  from  the  ideal  of  human  morality."  p.  xlis.  London  Edit.  1859, 


1128  THEOLOGY   or   UNIVERSALISM. 

vious  chapter,  on  the  divine  cliaracter  and  attributes, 
we  showed  that  the  discipline  and  final  redemption  of 
the  human  race,  was  embraced  in  the  original  plan  of 
God,  and  that  his  Power  and  Wisdom  were  eno-agred 
to  overcome  all  obstacles,  to  remove  all  opposition, 
obstinacy,  and  evil,  from  the  heart  of  man,  and  recon* 
cile  and  restore  him  to  holiness  and  heaven.  But 
while  this  was  the  original  purpose  of  God,  it  was 
also  his  purpose  to  accomplish  this,  not  by  a  mir- 
acle, but  through  appointed  means  ;  or,  in  one  word, 
through  the  grace  and  truth  of  Jesus  Christ  the  Son, 
aided  and  blessed  by  the  sanctifying  influences  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  And  the  declaration  of  Paul,  just  cited, 
indicates  the  manner  in  which  Christ,  as  the  anointed 
of  God,  becomes  to  man  "  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and 
the  Life,"  the  Mediator,  the  Eeconciler,  and  Saviour. 
And  how  beautiful  and  intelligible  is  all  this,  and 
in  what  a  different  light  it  presents  the  character  of 
God,  compared  with  the  popular  doctrine  of  atone- 
ment. A  world  disobedient,  sinful,  long  wandering, 
and  borne  down  with  the  sorrows  and  sufferings  that 
have  come  of  transgression  —  God  a  loving  and  pity- 
ing Father,  looking  upon,  and  watching  over,  his 
wayward  children,  with  a  tender  and  never  wearying 
affection  ;  and  sending  his  willing  Son,  endued  with 
wisdom  aod  power,  to  show  them  the  way  of  repent- 
ance and  restoration.  He  comes  in  the  Father^s 
name,  and  with  an  earnest  and  true  soul,  gives  him- 
self to  the  task  of  leading  the  wandering  sheep  back 
to  the  fold  of  rest  and  safety.  He  reveals  the  true 
character  of  God,  whom  they  had  feared,  and  at 
whose  name  they  had  trembled ;  he  tells  them  of  his 
infinite  and  unchangeable  love  ;  his  goodness  that  haa 


THE   ATONEMENT.  129 

been  so  patient,  and  suffered  so  long  with  them  ;  of 
his  compassion  for  them  in  their  blindness,  and  error, 
and  sin,  and  his  purposes  of  grace  and  redemption, 
through  faith  and  obedience  ;  of  his  wise  and  benefi- 
cent laws  made  for  their  good,  and  the  reasonable- 
ness and  blessedness  of  obedience  ;  of  the  inheritance 
of  life  and  immortality,  of  which  they  were  heirs  and 
joint-heirs  with  him,  and  through  him !  And  when 
he  has  opened  to  them  these  great  truths,  and  shed 
the  light  and  warmth  of  them  into  their  hearts,  he 
calls  upon  the  prodigals  to  be  reconciled  to  God,  to 
receive  the  at-one-ment  which  he  offers  them,  and 
come  back  to  the  blessed  home  where  all  things  beau- 
tiful abide,  and  where  the  soul  shall  rejoice  forever- 
more  in  the  sunshine  of  Heaven. 

And  to  this  holy  work  he  devotes  all  his  strength 
and  energies.  He  pleads  with  them,  toils  and  suffers, 
and  is  persecuted  even  by  those  whom  he  seeks  to 
bless — so  perverse  is  the  heart  of  man,  so  cruel  is 
sin.  And  at  last  betrayed  and  crucified,  he  seals  the 
sincerity  of  his  words  and  actions,  and  crowns  his  life 
and  labors,  with  his  death. 

And  that  to  the  Death  of  Christy  as  well  as  to  his 
life,  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  attribute  a  pe- 
culiar influence  and  efficacy  in  the  work  of  atone- 
ment, cannot  be  denied.  It  is  associated  with  the 
salvation  of  the  world,  in  such  a  way  as  to  show  that 
it  had  a  special  place  among  the  agencies  working 
out  the  result.  A  consideration  of  this  point,  a  little 
more  in  detail,  will  discover  to  us  the  more  important 
relations  of  the  Saviour's  death  to  the  atonement,  or 
the  reconciliation  of  man  to  God. 


ISO  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVEESALISM. 

1.  The  death  of  Christ  as  an  J^xample. — Jesus  not 
only  came  to  show  us  how  to  live,  but  also  how  to 
die,  how  to  yield  up  everything  to  truth  and  duty, 
how  to  die  with  forgiveness  and  love  toward  all  men, 
even  our  enemies  ;  with  faith  and  resignation  toward 
God ;  with  courage  and  confidence  respecting  the 
future. 

Througli  suffering  he  was  made  perfect,  as  the 
Caj)tain  of  our  Salvation.  His  death  was  the  crown- 
ing glory  of  his  great  work,  giving  to  the  whole  the 
harmonious  beauty  of  perfect  proportion  and  com- 
pleteness. Had  he  not  died  and  triumphed  as  he 
did,  we  should  have  felt  that  something:  was  want- 
ing,  that  the  finish  was  omitted.  We  should  have 
been  in  doubt  how  he  would  have  met  the  last  great 
trial.  But  now  we  know  how  he  met  it,  and  that  his 
death  was  like  his  life,  serene  and  beautiful,  an  exhi- 
bition of  highest  love,  a  perfect  submission  to  the 
will  of  God,  a  complete  surrender  of  self  to  the  good 
of  mankind,  amid  fearful  agonies,  and  girded  about 
with  unmitigated  horrors  and  ferocities. 

His  death  shows  us  how  to  conquer,  how  to  for- 
give, how  to  be  true  to  highest  principle  ;  and  so  as 
an  example  of  the  divinest  sort,  helps,  by  its  direct 
influence  on  the  heart,  to  save  from  hate,  and  passion, 
and  human  weakness,  and  the  power  of  evil.  And 
finally,  it  helps  us  to  meet  death,  even  in  its  worst 
forms,  and  amid  its  fiercest  terrors,  with  composure, 
and  sweetness,  and  holy  trust  toward  God. 

And  what  power  there  is  in  this  example,  may  be 
seen  in  the  case  of  Stephen,  when,  bruised  and  crush- 
ed with  the  stones  dashed  upon  him  by  his  murder- 
ers,   he  knelt  down,  and  cried  with   a   loud  voice, 


THE    ATONEMENT.  131 

"  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge."  The  death 
of  Jesus,  and  his  great  prayer,  "Father,  forgive 
them,"  had  taught  him  how  to  die,  and  how  to  for- 
give his  bloody-minded  assassins. 

And  on  how  many  hearts  has  the  perfected  exam- 
ple of  Christ,  in  his  death,  had  a  subduing,  sanctify- 
ing, and  redeeming  power.  How  many  have  offer- 
ed up  the  prayer  of  forgiveness,  who  never  would 
have  done  it  but  for  his  death  scene.  How  many 
have  thus  received  the  atonement,  and  been  reconcil- 
ed to  God  and  their  fellows,  through  the  sacrifice  of 
the  Lamb  of  God. 

2.  The  death  of  Christ  is  a  commendation  of  God's 
love  to  the  tcorld. — In  this  respect,  the  death  of  the 
Saviour  is  peculiar  in  character,  and  in  its  direct  rela- 
tion to  the  reconciliation  and  redemption  of  man. 
The  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament  constantly 
present  it  in  this  light,  as  being  designed  especially  to 
reveal  and  commend  the  love  of  God  to  man.  The 
death  of  no  other  servant  of  God,  of  no  other  good 
man,  is  ever  spoken  of  in  this  respect,  as  the  death  of 
Jesus  is.  Others  may  die  as  martyrs,  as  friends  of 
humanity,  in  behalf  of  the  truth  ;  but  in  no  instance 
is  their  death  said  to  stand  in  that  peculiar  position 
between  God  and  mankind,  which  is  uniformly  as- 
signed to  the  death  of  Christ.  In  no  case  is  it  said 
of  them,  that  they  died  to  commend  the  love  of  God 
to  the  world  ;  or  that  their  death  was  intended  to 
bear  a  direct  and  efficacious  relation  to  the  salvation 
of  man. 

If  it  be  asked  why  the  death  of  Christ  is  any  more 
an  exhibition  of  divine  love,  than  the  death  of  any 
good  man  in  the  same  cause ;  it  can  only  be  answer- 


102  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIYERSALISM. 

^c.d  Ly  (lie  fact  that  God  must,  in  some  way,  reveal 
himself,  and  make  known  his  love  to  his  erring  and 
sinful  children.  Some  means  must  be  employed, 
some  visible  and  actual  exhibition  of  his  gracious 
mercy  must  be  made  ;  and  all  we  can  say  is,  that, 
amid  an  infinite  variety  of  methods,  he  chose  this,  the 
death  of  Christ. 

Of  the  fact  itself,  that  he  did  choose  this  method, 
that  the  death  of  Christ  was  a  commendation  of  his 
favor  and  love,  we  have  plainest  declaration.  In  his 
Epistle  to  the  Eomans,  Paul  expressly  states  that 
"  God  commendeth  Jiis  love  toward  us,  in  that,  while 
w^c  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us."  Chap.  v. 
8.  So  John  :  "  For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he 
gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth 
in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life. 
For  God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn 
the  world  :  but  that  the  world  throu2i;li  him  mio-ht  be 
saved."'  John  iii.  IG,  17.  So  in  his  first  Epistle  : 
"  In  this  was  manifested  the  love  of  God  toward  us^ 
because  that  God  sent  his  only  begotten  Son  into 
the  world,  that  we  might  live  through  him."  Chap, 
iv.  9. 

All  this  shows  that  Christ  died,  not  because  God 
was  angry  with  us,  not  to  save  the  world  from  the 
divine  wrath  and  vengeance ;  but  because  God  loved 
the  world,  and  sought  to  deliver  it,  through  Christ, 
from  sin  and  death,  and  every  power  of  evil.  He 
sends  his  only  Son,  as  his  representative,  to  die  in  at- 
testation of  the  greatness  of  his  aflTection  toward  us. 
He  shows  us,  in  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Christ, 
how  strongly  he  is  bound  to  us,  how^  mighty  is  the 
love   which,  amid  so  much  evil  and  wickedness,  still 


THE   ATONEMEXT.  133 

clings  to  the  guilty,  and  seeks  their  good,  and  aim9 
to  deliver  them  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  his  spirit- 
ual children. 

How  this  exhibition  of  Divine  Love  in  the  death  of 
Christ,  how  the  crucifixion  scene  itself,  influences  the 
hardest  heart,  and  with  a  mighty  moral  power,  over- 
comes the  evil  in  it,  and  inspires  it  with  gratitude, 
love,  and  goodness ;  and  how,  therefore,  the  death  of 
the  Saviour  is  related  to  the  salvation  of  the  sinner, 
is  sufficiently  plain  without  argument.  When  he 
sees  the  great  love  of  God,  as  manifested  in  the  death 
of  Jesus,  when  he  sees  that  the  very  heart  he  has 
pierced,  beats  in  its  last  pulses  of  agony  with  tender- 
est  affection  for  him  ;  in  spite  of  himself  the  rebel- 
lious spirit  within  him  is  subdued  into  shame  and 
penitence ;  the  ice  of  sin  melts  away  before  the 
warmth  of  Divine  Love  ;  and  now  he  feels  how  hard 
it  is  to  sin  against  such  love.  And  at  last,  contem- 
plating this  pathetic  scene,  this  exhibition  of  good- 
ness and  compassion,  he  is  forced  to  yield,  and  cries 
out  with  Saul,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to 
do  ?  "  And  so  In  his  case  the  atonement  is  complete ;. 
he  is  reconciled  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord. 

3.  The  death  of  Christy  associated  with  his  Hesur- 
red  ion,  confirms  the  assurance  of  our  future  exist- 
ence^ and  delivers  us  from  the  fear  of  death. 

This  is  declared  to  be  one  of  the  great  purposes  of 
the  death  of  Christ,  that  he  might  rise  again  to  the 
justification  of  our  hope  of  immortality  ;  and  show 
us  that  we  also  shall  live  again,  and,  being  children 
of  the  resurrection,  shall  therefore,  on  that  account, 
be  also  children  of  God.     To  this  end,  the  Saviour 


134  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM. 

directs  attention  to  tills  point,  often  speaking  of  his 
death  and  his  triumph  over  the  grave,  fixing  the 
thought  of  his  disciples  and  hearers  on  the  predicted 
event,  that  when  it  came  to  pass,  they  might  re*- 
mcmber  his  words. 

It  was  the  purpose  of  God  that  it  should  take 
place  under  peculiar  circumstances,  with  special  ac- 
compamments,  that  it  might  be  known  and  perceived 
in  its  relations  to  the  future  life  of  the  soul ;  and  fur- 
nish a  foundation  of  hope  and  faith,  that,  as  our  Re- 
deemer llveth,  wc  shall  live  also.  It  is  made  to  oc- 
cupy a  prominent  place  in  the  history  and  mission  of 
the  Saviour,  that  the  attention  of  the  world  might  be 
drawn  to  it  as  a  demonstration  of  the  truth  of  what 
he  had  taught  on  this  point. 

Thus  it  reveals  to  us  the  plan  of  God  respecting 
our  hereafter,  and  reconciles  us  to  him  by  faith  and 
gratitude,  making  us  at-one  with  him.  Thus,  also,  it 
contributes  to  our  salvation  from  doubt  and  fear  re- 
specting death  ;  and  establishes  on  a  rock  foundation, 
our  confidence  in  that  great  and  blessed  truth,  which, 
before  Christ,  had  either  not  been  seen  at  all,  or  so 
dimly  seen,  that  it  neither  softened  the  terrors  of 
death,  nor  lifted  the  Impenetrable  gloom  of  the  grave  ; 
so  dimly  that  it  Imparted  to  the  dying  neither 
courage  nor  consolation.  But  now,  if  Christ  died 
and  rose  again  as  a  prophecy  of  our  future  life,  the 
problem  is  solved,  the  darkness  and  gloom  are  &catter- 
ed,  and  light  from  his  empty  tomb,  glorious  and  beau- 
tiful, streams  downward  into  the  valley  of  shadows, 
and  upward  to  the  gates  of  heaven.  We  are  recon- 
ciled to  God ;  we  are  reconciled  to  death.  We  see 
how  "  through  death  he  destroys  him  that  had  tho 


THE   ATONEMENT.  135 

power  oF  death,  that  is,  the  devil ;  and  delivers  those 
v^'ho,  through  fear  of  death,  were  all  their  life  time 
subject  to  bondage.''     Ileb.  ii.  14,  15. 

Thus  it  is  that  Christ's  death  is  related,  in  a  pecu- 
liar and  efficacious  manner,  to  our  salvation  in  the 
gospel  sense,  i.  e.  salvation  from  sin  and  disobedience, 
iVom  the  bondajxe  and  the  fear  of  death,  and  from  evil 
of  every  sort.  And  we  see  how  it  is,  that  through 
the  blood  of  Christ  v/e  have  forgiveness  or  remission 
of  sins,  are  spiritually  vrashcd  and  made  clean,  and 
accepted  of  God ;  or,  in  Paul's  words,  how  by  him 
we  receive  the  atonement,  and  have  pe-ace  with  God. 
We  see,  in  clearest  light,  and  understand,  the  mean- 
\\\^  of  the  atonement,  that  is,  reconciliation  to  God. 
It  is  plain  to  us  that,  though  Christ  does  not,  as  our 
substitute,  save  us  from  punishment  by  suiiering  for 
us,  yet  he  saves  us  from  sin,  by  leading  us  away  from 
it  into  the  paths  of  life  and  peace. 

Let  us  consider  how  immense  the  sacrifice,  in  order 
for  us  to  die  to  save  a  righteous  man,  or  a  dear  friend 
even,  from  death.  But  the  love  of  God  for  us  is 
manifest  in  that,  while  we  were  yet  sinners  and  ene- 
mies, Christ  died  for  us  !  Let  us  contemplate  the 
death  of  the  Saviour  in  this  light,  and  we  shall  soon 
discover  how  it  is  that  we  are  saved  by  his  death  — 
"we  shall  soon  find  its  spiritual  power  over  our  way- 
ward affections  and  passions.  As  we  feel  the  warm 
blood  trickling  down  upon  our  hearts  from  his 
wounded  side,  his  lacerated  hands  and  feet,  and  hear 
his  prayer  of  forgiveness,  we  sliall  be  completely  con- 
quered by  the  diA'inc  and  heavenly  influence.  The 
s[)irit  will  bow  in  grateful  penitence  to  the  power  of 
Almighty  Love  ;  and  every  evil  aifection  will  die  out 


106  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM. 

frora  the  heart.  And  thus,  receiving  the  atonement, 
and  saved  with  an  everlasting  salvation,  we  shall 
gladl}^  join  the  throng  who  take  up  the  song  of  the 
Ivcdecmcd  ;  "  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us 
from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us 
kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his  Father  ;  to  hhn 
be    glory  and   dominion  forever  and  ever.     Amen." 


SECTION      III. 

THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST  NOT  VICAEIOUS HE  DID  NOT    SUFFER  A3 

OUR  SUBSTITUTE ARGUMENT  FROM  THE  EPISTLE 

TO  THE  IIEBEEWS. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  foregoing  presentation  of 
the  doctrine  of  Atonement,  differs  in  a  very  marked 
manner  from  the  popular  views  on  this  subject ;  and 
that  there  are  some  passages  of  scripture  which  seem 
not  only  not  to  accord  with  this  theory,  but  to  de- 
clare the  death  of  Christ  to  be  sacrificial  in  the  ordi- 
nary sense  of  the  word,  especially  portions  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  This  presumed  difficulty  is 
now  entitled  to  a  respectful  consideration. 

So  far  as  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  is  concerned, 
the  sum  of  the  matter  is,  that  the  apostle  makes  a 
general  comparison,  showing  a  general  resemblance 
between  the  things  of  the  law  and  of  the  gospel ; 
with  a  view,  at  the  same  time,  to  show  the  difFcrer  ccs 
in  important  particulars  between  the  two,  and  where- 
in, in  respect  to  these  diffijrences,  Christ  and  the  gos- 
pel are  superior  to  Aaron  and  the  Law.  And  it  is 
only  in  the  light  of  this  fact,  keeping  the  design  of 
the  writer  in  the  foreground,  that  any  one   can  hope 


THE  DEATH  01^  CHRIST  NOT  VICAHIOUS.        137 

to  understand  the  language  and  teachings  of  this 
epistle. 

And  at  the  very  outset,  the  idea  of  substitution  is 
disavowed,  in  the  positive  declaration  that,  under  the 
Law  Dispensation  ("  the  word  spoken  by  angels,") 
*' every  transgression  and  disobedience  i^eceived  a  just 
recompense  of  reward,"  ii.  2  ;  i.  e.  says  Hammond, 
*'  the  breaches  of  the  law  were  actually  punished." 
Now,  if  this  be  true,  then  plainly  the  sacrifices  of  the 
law  were  not  vicarious.  If  every  transgression  and 
disobedience  received  a  just  punishment,  then  the  sin 
and  trespass  offerings  of  the  Law  did  not  save  from 
this  punishment.  They  were  not  something  accepted 
as  a  substitute  for  this,  and  thereby  wholly  releasing 
the  sinner  from  the  consequences  of  his  sin.  Nothing, 
it  would  seem,  can  be  plainer  than  this,  or  more  con- 
clusive against  the  vicarious  theory. 

And  the  same  is  apparent  now.  Notwithstanding 
the  asserted  vicarious  death  of  Christ,  men  suffer  for 
their  sins  as  much  as  if  no  satisfaction  had  been  ren- 
dered to  the  divine  law.  Every  trangression  and  dis- 
obedience receives  its  just  recompense  and  reward 
under  the  new,  as  well  as  under  the  old,  dispensa- 
tion ;  and  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  does  not  seem  to  in- 
terfere with  the  natural  operation  of  the  moral  and 
physical  law,  any  more  than  the  Levitical  sacrifices. 

There  is  no. transfer  of  the  guilty  conscience,  the 
remorse  and  terror  of  the  murderer,  to  the  innocent 
sufferer  on  the  cross.  The  crime  and  its  punishment 
still  clino;  to2:cther  in  the  darkened  and  condemned 
soul  of  the  criminal.  And  it  cannot  be  otherwise  as 
man  is  constituted  at  present.  Vicarious  suffering 
for  sin,  the  transfer  of  the  proper  and  only  legitimate 


138  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

pimisliment  of  sin,  from  the  guilty  to  the  innocen-t,  Is 
a  simple  impossibility,  without  an  entire  change  of 
man's  moral  and  spiritual  nature,  which  would  be 
substantially  the  creation  of  a  new  race  of  beings. 

And  the  physical  suffering,  broken  constitution, 
wasted  property,  degradation^  shame,  and  wretched- 
ness of  soul  and  body,  which  reveal  the  drunkard, 
reveal  also  that  the  punishment  is  inherent  in,  and 
inseparable  from,  the  sin,  and  that  no  sacrifice  can 
save  from  it.  Nay,  they  show  that,  without  a  per* 
petual  miracle,  without  the  constant  interposition  of 
God  in  every  example  of  transgression,  the  punish* 
ment  of  sin  could  not  in  any  sense  be  transferred  to 
Christ.  • 

I  turn  now  to  the  consideration  of  some  of  the  par- 
ticulars respecting  the  sacrifice  of  Chris-t,  as  they  are 
set  forth  in  this  epistle  and  in  other  scriptures. 

§  I.  Christ  a  Sacrifice  for  Sin.— The  constant  de- 
claration is,  that  Christ  offered  himself  a  sacrifice  for 
sin,  and  not  as  a  substitute  to  release  man  from  pun- 
ishment* "  His  blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin ;  "  he 
'^' puts  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself;  "  "he 
offered  one  sacrifice  for  sins  for  ever;"  he  "bears 
the  sins  of  many ;  "  our  "  hearts  are  sprinkled  from 
an  evil  conscience ; "  we  are  "  purged  from  dead 
works  to  serve  the  living  God,"  &c. 

'  Dr.  Clarke  justly  says,  •*  Every  sinner  has  a  daily  pay,  and  this 
pay  is  death  ;  be  has  misery  because  he  sins.  Sin  constitutes  hell;  the 
sinner  has  a  hell  in  his  own  bosom;  all  is  confusion  and  disorder 
■where  God  does  not  reign;  every  indulgence  of  sinful  passions  in- 
creases tlic  disorder,  and  consequently  the  misery  of  the  sinner." 
J\''ote  on  Rom.  vi.  23.  This  being  the  case,  it  is  not  easy  to  see  how 
Christ  suffers  in  his  stead,  unless  the  sinner  receives  double  wages, 
or  is  paid  twice j  —  once  in  his  own  person  and  once  in  the  person  of 
Christ* 


THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST  NOT  VICARIOUS.         130 

This  \h  the  language  of  the  epistle  ^perpetually  re- 
peated, but  not  a  word  of  his  bearing  the  ptmi&hmerd 
of  sin,  or  suffering  as  a  substitute  in  this  respect. 
And  thus  the  epistle  harmonizes  with  the  rest  of  the 
New  Testament,  whix^h  uniformly  testifies  that  he 
saves  us  from  sin  and  iniquity.  "  He  gave  himself 
for  our  sins,"  that  he  might  "  redeem  us  from  all  ini" 
qidty  ;  ''  "  he  shall  be  called  Jesus,  for  he  shall  save 
liis  people  from  their  s^?^8,"  <tc. 

And  it  is  at  this  point  that  Paul  establishes  one 
evidence  of  the  superiority  of  Christ's  sacrifice  over 
those  of  the  Law.  The  last  could  not  save  from  the 
power  of  sin,  nor  establish  the  heart  in  holiness. 
They  were  only  acknowledgments  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  God^s  rule,  and  of  the  offence  and  regret  of 
the  transgressor ;  but  they  supplied  no  spiritual  life 
or  energy.  "  The  bringing  in  of  a  better  hope  "  did ; 
the  love  of  God  displayed  in  the  death  of  Christ, 
quickened  and  renewed,  and  sanctified  the  sinful  and 
disobedient,  "  For  in  this  was  the  love  of  God  man- 
ifested, in  that  while  we  were  yet  sinners  Christ  died 
for  us."  It  is  this  that  makes  the  saerifiee  of  Christ 
so  efficacious  in  subduing  the  sinful  heart;  and  it 
gives  point  to  the  exclamation,  ^'  Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world,"  The 
hardest  heart  often  yields  to  love  and  goodness,  when 
the  most  vigorous,  and  even  righteous,  law  fails  1o 
make  any  impression  on  it. 

§11.  Christ  our  Passover.— The  last  quotation, 
which  speaks  of  the  Saviour  as  the  '*  Lamb  of  God," 
leads  naturally  to  the  Jewish  Passover,  which  is  re- 
garded as  a  special  type  of  Christ. 

Paul  so.ys  to  the  Corinthians   (1  Cor,  v,  7,)  "  Foe 


140  TIIEOLOGT   OF   tJNIV^IlSALISM. 

even  Christ  onr  Passover  is  sacrificed  for  tis." 
But  any  one  can  see  that  it  is  only  in  an  accommo- 
dated sense  that  this  is  said ;  and  even  if  it  w>eYQ  to 
be  understood  as  a  full  and  tfue  type,  it  would  prove 
nothing  for  the  vicarious  theory. 

The  Passover  began  in  Egypt,  before  the  giving  of' 
the  law,  and  was  perpetuated  as  one  of  the  festivals 
under  the  law.  The  record  is  in  Exodus  xii.  1-28. 
Here  the  Israelites  are  required  to  kill  a  lamb,  and  eat 
it  with  unleavened  bread,  and  to  "  take  of  the  blood 
and  strike  it  on  the  two  side-posts,  and  on  the  upper 
door-post,"  of  their  houses.  "  For  the  Lord  will 
pass  through  and  smite  the  (first  born  of  the)  Egyp- 
tians, and  when  he  seeth  the  blood  upon  the  lintel^ 
and  on  the  two  side-posts,  the  Lord  will  pass  over  the 
door,  and  will  not  suffer  the  destroyer  to  come  in  unto 
your  houses  to  smite  you."     Yerse  23. 

Now  there  is  nothing  like  a  sacrifice  of  substitu- 
tion here,  nor  even  an  offering  for  sin.  The  Jews  had 
not  sinned,  w^ere  in  no  danger  of  punishment,  and  the 
lamb  was  not  intended  to  avert  the  wrath  of  God 
against  them.  The  judgment  was  against  the  Egyp- 
tians entirely,  and  the  blood  on  the  door-posts  was  a 
token  of  deliverance  for  them  and  theirs,  from  the 
destroying  angel.  And  in  this  sense  Christ  is  our 
Passover,  if  his  blood  is  so  appropriated,  through 
faith  and  obedience,  as  to  distinguish  us,  as  true  Is- 
raelites, from  the  hardened  and  wicked  Egyptians. 
If  "  the  blood  of  Christ  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin," 
then  we  are  known  as  his,  and  the  angel  of  judgment 
2)asscs  us  over.  We  are  saved  from  those  evils  which 
we  should  have  suffered  had  we  continued  in  sin,  as 
did    the    Egyptians.      Hence    Christ    is    called    the 


THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST  NOT  VICARIOUS.         141 

*^  Lamb  (I.  c,  of  the  Passover,)  that  takcth  away  the 
fl  1  of  the  world," 

§  III.  Christ  our  Ransom. — The  Scriptures  speak 
of  Christ  as  a  ransom.  He  says  himself,  "  The  Son 
of  Man  came  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many." 
Matt.  XX.  28,  Paul  affirms  that  "  he  gave  himself  a 
ransom  for  all  to  be  testified  in  due  time,"  1  Tim. 
ii.  6. 

Tlie  thought  embodied  in  this  form  of  expression  is 
|)lainly,  deliverance  from  the  bondage  of  sin.  The 
prophet  Isaiah  represents  the  arm  of  the  Lord  as 
that  which  *'  made  the  dep-ths  of  the  sea  a  way  for 
the  ransomed  to  pass  over."  li.  10.  The  ransomed 
iiere  were  the  Israelites,  ransomed  or  delivered  from 
the  servitude  of  Egypt.  Of  course,  the  Lord  did 
not  pay  a  price  to  the  Egyptians  to  let  his  people  go, 
though  thev  are  said  to  be  ransomed.  See  also  Jer, 
xxxi.  11.  So  in  Ilosea  xiii,  14,  God  says,  "  I  will 
ransom  them  from  the  po%v(?r  of  the  grave  ;  I  will  re- 
deem them  from  death."  Now,  are  we  to  suppose 
that  God  really,  literally,  or  in  any  sense,  paid  a  price 
to  the  grave  in  order  to  release  those  referred  to  from 
its  power !  Did  he  redeem  them  in  the  sense  of  buy- 
ing them  out  of  the  hands  of  death  ?  Did  he  render 
to  death,  or  the  grave,  an  equivalent  for  the  life  of 
those  who  were  ransomed  ?  No ;  but  the  manner  in 
which  they  were  ransomed,  is  shown  in  the  next 
words :  "  O  death,  I  will  be  thy  plagues  ;  O  grave, 
I  will  be  thy  destruction  !  " 

So  Jesus  is  represented  as  giving  himself  to  ran- 
som or  redeem  mankind  from  the  servitude  and  slav- 
ery of  sin.  He  strengthens  the  heart  in  its  resistance, 
be  inspires  it  with  heavenly  courage,  he  breaks  the 


iI2  THEOLOGY    OF  UXrVEIlSALIS:M, 

power  of  evil,  and  the  bonds  of  imquity,  and  leads  U3 
forth  into  spiritual  liberty.  In  a  word,  he  destroys 
sin,  makes  an  end  of  it,  and  so  liberates  us  from  its 
bondacfe,  and  establishes  the  law  of  rii^hteousness  io 
nW  hearts  foreyermore. 

§  IV.  Christ  redeems  us  from  the  curse  oftTie  Law, 
Though  the  pnssage  here  refeiTcd  to  is  in  Gala- 
iLans,  it  properly  comes  in  here  for  notice.  "  Christ 
hath  redeemed  ns  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being 
made  a  curse  for  us ;  for  it  is  written.  Cursed  is 
every  one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree."  Gal.  iii.  13.  It 
IS  cr^sy  ta  see  that  this  was  a  kind  of  proverb,  or 
poi)ular  saying  among  the  Jews  ;  because  there  is  no 
possible  reason,  in  the  nature  of  things,  .why  one  who 
was  hanged  on  a  tree,  should  be  specially  cursed  of 
God,  more  than  one  put  to  death  in  any  other  way. 
The  apostle's  reference  is  to  Deut.  xxi.  23,  where  the 
body  of  one  executed  in  this  way,  is  ordered  to  be 
taken  down  and  buried  before  night,  that  the  land  be 
not  defiled  by  its  presence. 

Because  Jesus  "svas  crucified,  or  hanged  on  a  tree, 
the  apostle  applies  this  popular  saying  to  him,  as  ex- 
pressive of  what  he  suffered,  in  order  to  redeem  the 
world.  The  law  of  which  Paul  speaks,  is  the  law  of 
i\\(i  Mosaic  rites  and  ceremonies,  the  burden,  the 
yoke  or  curse  Avhich  Peter  witnessed  to  in  the 
Council  at  Jerusalem  :  "  Now,  therefore,  why  tempt 
ye  God,  to  put  a  yoke  upon  the  disciples  (Gentiles,) 
which  neither  our  fathers  nor  we  were  able  to  bear." 
Acts  xv.  Christ  delivers  us  from  this,  and  abolishes 
it  altogether,  by  his  death,  and  in  this  sense  may  be 
said  to  be  "  made  a  curse  for  us." 

Of  course,  the  curse   of  the  law  was  not  endless 


THE  DEATH  OF  CHEIST  XOT  VICAEIOUS.         14S 

j:)unlsbmGnt,  for  that  Christ  did  not  suffer  ;  and  it  is 
nowhere  revealed  in  the  law  of  Moses  as  the  peualtj 
of  transgression ;  nor  is  it  alluded  to  in  any  way. 
This  is  agreed  to  on  all  hands  by  the  most  learned  of 
Biblical  scholars,  such  as  Paley,  Whately,  Jahn, 
Mayer,  Wines,  Warburton,  &c.,  the  last  of  whom 
^ays,  "  In  the  writings  of  Moses,  we  find  nothing  hut 
temporal  rewards  and  punishments.'^^  '  If  the  thing 
was  not  known  to  Moses,  it  could  not  be  the  curse  of 
his  law  on  him  who  was  hanged  upon  a  tree.  As  re- 
marked, it  was  a  current  proverb  among  the  Jewish 
peoj)le,  and  the  apostle  simply  applies  it  to  Christ,  by 
whose  death  on  the  cross,  or  tree,  the  law  and  its 
burthensome  ritual  were  abolished,  and  the  reign  of 
grace  and  love  set  up  in  the  hearts  of  men. 

§  Y.  Christ  hearing  our  griefs^  and  loounded  for 
car  transgressions. — The  language  of  Isaiah  liii.  4—6, 
10,  compared  with  1  Peter  ii.  21-24.  "  Surely  he 
hath  borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows.  He 
was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he  was  bruised 
for  our  iniquities  ;  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was 
upon  him  ;  and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed.  The 
Lord  hath  laid  upon  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all." 

This  is  as  strono;  lano;uao;e  as  can  be  cited  from  the 
Scriptures,  and  yet  a  moment's  examination  will  show 
the  impossibility  of  a  literal  interpretation.  How 
could  Christ  bear  the  grief,  or  carry  the  sorrow  of  sin, 
who  knew  no  sin  ?  It  is  not  possible  he  could  feel 
the  remorse  of  the  criminal,  the  murderer ;  or  the  ag  • 

^  See  this  subject  illustrated  in  the  "  Origin  and  History  of  the  Doc- 
trine of  Endless  Punishment,"  by  the  author.  The  argument  shows 
the  false  use  made  of  this  passage  from  Galatians  by  believers  in  the 
vicarious  sufferings  of  Christ. 


144  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

ony  of  shame  and  degradation,  and  the  physical  tor- 
ment, of  the  drunkard. 

But  in  a  figurative  sense  he  may  be  said  to  bear 
our  griefs  and  sorrows,  as  John  Howard  bore  the 
griefs  and  sorrows  of  the  prisoners  and  the  wretched 
whom  he  visited  and  comforted,  and,  by  incessant  toil 
and  effort,  relieved  from  the  cruelties  laid  upon  them. 

So  Christ  bears  our  sorrows  and  "  our  sins  in  his 
own  person  on  the  tree,"  by  living,  and  laboring,  and 
dying,  to  deliver  us  from  them.  And  thus  we  are 
healed  by  his  stripes,  our  peace  is  secured  by  his  suf- 
fering, we  are  redeemed  from  sin  by  the  power  of 
truth  and  grace  revealed  in  his  death.  Hence  he 
says,  "And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will 
draw  all  men  unto  me."     John  xii.  32.* 

Matt.  viii.  16,  17,  is  a  perfect  commentary  on  Isaiah 
and  Peter.  "  And  he  cast  out  the  spirits  with  his 
word,  and  he  healed  all  that  were  sick  ;  that  it  might 
be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  Esaias  the  prophet, 
saying,  "Himself  took  our  infirmities  and  bare  our 
sicknesses." 

Now,  in  what  sense  did,  or  could,  Jesus  take  the 
infirmities  of  those  who  were  diseased,  or  bear  their 
sicknesses  ?  What  did  he  do  in  their  case  ?  "VYe  are 
told  in   the  preceding  words  :  "  He  healed  all  that 

1  These  -words  of  Jesus  are  beautifully  paraphrased  by  Elizaeetii 
Bab.ui:t  BRo^Y^•lNG,  in  the  "  Drama  of  Exile,"  in  which  she  discovera 
her  owu  faith  in  the  great  redemi>tion: 

*'  Look  on  me! 
As  I  shall  be  ui)lifted  on  a  cross 
In  darkness  of  eclipse,  and  anguish  dread! 
So  shall  I  lift  vp  in  my  pierced  hands — 
Not  into  dark,  but  light;  not  unto  death, 
But  life—  beyond  the  reach  of  guilt  and  griefs 
The  wuole  creation." 


THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST  NOT  VICARIOUS.         145 

were  sick."  This  is  tiie  equivalent  of  the  phrase, 
"  he  bare  our  sicknesses  ;"  which,  in  a  physical  sense, 
is  the  equivalent  of  the  phrase,  "  he  bare  our  sins," 
in  a  moral  sense.  Christ  bore  the  infirmities  and 
sicknesses  of  the  people  by  healing  them  ;  and  he 
bears  our  sins  in  the  same  way,  by  restoring  us  to 
spiritual  health.^ 

Both  prophet  and  apostle  undoubtedly  had  the 
scapegoat  of  the  great  day  of  atonement  in  mind,  and 
borrowed  the  phraseology  of  that  custom,  as  record- 
ed in  Levit.  xvi.  20-22.  "  And  Aaron  shall  lay  both 
his  hands  upon  the  head  of  the  live  goat,  and  confess 
over  him  all  the  iniquities  of  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  all  their  transgressions  in  all  their  sins,  putting 
them  upon  the  head  of  the  goat,  and  shall  send  him 
away  by  the  hand  of  a  fit  man  into  the  wilderness  ; 
and  the  goat  shall  bear  upon  him  all  their  iniquities 
unto  a  land  not  inhabited  —  and  he  shall  let  the  goat 
go  in  the  wilderness." 

Of  course,  all  this  is  tropical,  and  not  literal.  Lit- 
erally it  is  impossible.  The  thing  is  done  only  in  a 
figure  ;  for  in  no  other  possible  sense  could  the  legal 
or  moral  sins  of  the  people  be  laid  upon  the  head  of 
the  goat,  or  he  be  made  to  bear  them,  or  carry  them 
away  into  the  wilderness-  And  even  in  this  figure., 
it  is  to  be  observed  that  it  is  not  the  punishment,  but 
the  iniquity  and  sin  of  the  people,  which  the  goat  is 
represented  as  bearing.  There  is  nothing  vicarious 
in  the  transaction. 

The  sum  of  the  matter  is,  that  the  scapegoat  was  a 

1  While  -writing  this,  a  friend,  speaking  of  a  distinguished  physician, 
remarked,  "  He  carried  my  mother  through  a  severe  sickness."  lie 
carried  her  iu  the  sense  of  curing  her. 


Ub  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVERSALISAT. 

symbolic  expressioD,  on  the  part  of  the  people,  of 
their  purpose  to  put  away  all  the  sins  and  iniquities 
of  the  past ;  and,  on  the  part  of  God,  of  his  accept- 
ance of  this  evidence  of  their  repentance,  and  his  wil- 
lingness to  blot  out  the  past,  and  to  begin  a  new  ac- 
count with  them,  and  to  receive  them  as  though  they 
had  not  sinned  at  all. 

But  the  renewal  of  this  sacrifice  and  ceremony 
every  year,  shows,  as  the  apostle  says,  how  ineffectu- 
al it  was  in  putting  away  sin,  or  the  disposition  to  it. 
There  was  no  moral  power  in  the  form, — nothing  that 
could  affect  or  win  the  heart.  The  live  goat  led  into 
the  wilderness  could  no  more  take  away  sin,  than  the 
blood  of  the  slain  goat.  They  were  simply  an  ac- 
knowlcdo-ment  of  the  rio-hteousness  of  the  law,  and  of 
the  obligation  to  obey  it. 

And  here,  again,  the  argument  of  the  Epistle  takes 
effect,  and,  by  contrast,  shows  the  superiority  of 
Christ's  sacrifice.  He  removes,  puts  away  sin  by  the 
sacrifice  of  himself,  and  does  it  effectually,  —  not  by 
exhibiting  the  sternness  of  the  lawgiver,  or  the  un- 
yielding rigor  of  the  law,  but  by  displaying  the  infi- 
nite and  everlasting  love  of  the  Father.  And  this  is 
not  for  one  people  only,  but  for  the  whole  world. 
He  is  "  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of 
the  world."  JSTot  in  part,  but  entirely ;  for  "  the 
blood  of  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin."  Not  for  a 
year  only,  but  for  all  time  ;  for  "  after  he  had  offered 
one  sacrifice  for  sins,  he  for  ever  sat  down  on  the 
ri^ht  hand  of  God:"  and  "we  are  sanctified  once 
for  all,  through  the  offering  of  the  body  of  Jesus 
Christ." 

So  greatly  superior  is  the  sacrifice   and  atonement 


THE  DEATH  OF   CHRIST   NOT   VICARIOUS.      14T 

of  our  great  Hi";h  Priest  and  Saviour ;  and  so  mark- 
ed  are  the  special  differences,  notwithstanding  the 
general  resemblance,  between  the  priesthood  of  Aaron 
and  that  of  Jesus. 

And  to  the  glorious  result  set  forth  in  this  Epistle, 
all  Scripture  points.  The  prophet  declares  it  in  the 
very  passage  wliich  represents  him  as  bearing  our 
iniquities  ;  for,  says  the  man  of  God,  "  he  shall  see 
of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  shall  be  satisfied,  the 
pleasure  of  the  Lord  shall  prosper  in  his  hand." 

And  what  is  this  pleasure  of  the  Lord  which  shall 
prosper  in  his  hand?  Answer:  "It  pleased  the 
Father  that  in  him  should  all  fulness  dwell ;  and  hav- 
ing made  peace  by  the  blood  of  his  cross,  by  him  to 
reconcile  all  thino;s  unto  himself."     Col.  i. 

Thus  the  pleasure  and  the  purpose  of  the  Lord, 
the  sacrifice  and  atonement,  the  travail,  desire  and 
satisfaction  of  Christ,  and  the  deliverance  of  all  souls 
from  sin,  unite  on  one  point ;  and  shed  the  splendors 
of  the  celestial  world  on  the  love  of  God  to  man,  as 
displayed  in  the  perfected  plan  of  universal  holiness 
and  happiness. 


Having  thus,  by  aid  of  the  Scriptures,  obtained  a 
correct  understanding  of  the  character  and  office  of 
Christ,  the  meaning  and  purpose  of  his  death  and 
atonement,  and  his  relation  to  Man  as  a  Saviour ;  the 
next  step  in  our  inquiry  is  to  ascertain  the  nature  and 
moral  status  of  man,  the  being  who  is  to  be  saved, 
and  to  discover  the  causes  of  his  sinful  condition,  and 
the  reafons  for  his  need  of  a  Saviour. 


148  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALTSST. 

This  becomes  necessary  in  order  to  understand  the 
exact  moral  relation  existing  between  God  as  Crea- 
tor and  Man  as  the  creature  ;  as  well  as  for  the  pur- 
pose of  exhibiting  the  true  relation  of  Christ  as  the 
Kedeemer,  to  Man  as  the  redeemed.  We  wish  to 
know  the  organic  condition  of  man,  his  spiritual  struc- 
ture, at  the  time  he  comes  from  the  forming  hand  of 
his  Maker ;  and  to  ascertain  through  what  agency  he 
has  fallen  from  innocence  into  a  condition  requiring 
the  help  of  a  Saviour  ',  and  what  this  condition  is  into 
which  he  has  fallen,  its  effect  upon  his  nature  or 
character.  All  this  we  must  know  that  we  may  be 
able  to  form  a  clear  idea  of  what  it  is  the  Saviour 
does  for  man,  what  the  nature  of  the  salvation  he 
works  out  for  him,  and  the  precise  character  of  the 
evil  or  evils  from  which  he  saves  him. 

And  thus  we  shall  discover  how  the  creative  work 
of  God,  in  its  moral  aspects,  connects,  through  Christ 
the  Saviour,  with  the  moral  nature  of  man,  and  his 
present  sinful  condition ;  and  how  these,  in  turn^ 
connect  with  the  renewing  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  the  great  Kedemption  of  the  GospeL 


CHAPTEE   III. 

■AN— THE  RECTITUDE  OF  HIS  NATURE ORIGINAL  SIN NAIUBAI 

DEPRAVITY. 

SE  CTI  ON    I, 

THE  TEACHING  OF  THE  BIBLE   AND    THE   EARLY  CHURCH  RESPECT- 
ING man's  moral  ABILITY. 

It  cannot  but  be  evident  to  every  careful  reader, 
that  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  are  based,  from 
first  to  last,  on  the  ability  of  man  to  obey  the  law  of 
God,  on  the  presumption  that  he  has  the  power  to  be 
good  in  word,  thought,  and  deed.  All  the  exhorta- 
tions and  warnings,  all  the  counsels,  commands,  and 
encouragements,  all  the  rewards  and  punishments  of 
the  old  dispensation  and  of  the  new,  of  the  Law  and 
the  Gospel,  proceed  upon  the  ground  that  mankind 
are  equally  capable  of  good  and  evil,  of  holiness  and 
wickedness.  There  is  no  meaning  in  these  things, 
but  upon  this  supposition.  If  it  be  not  so,  the  whole 
Bible  is  an  enigma,  without  moral  force  or  authority ; 
for  where  there  is  no  power  to  obey,  there  is  no 
authority  in  the  law.  If  the  moral  precepts  of  Chris- 
tianity were  addressed  to  the  beasts  of  the  field,  or 
the  fowls  of  the  air,  they  would  have  no  moral 
weight,  nor  would  these  creatures  be  under  any  obli- 
gations to  obey.     Where  there  is  no  moral  sense, 


150  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

there  can  be  no  moral  obligation.  If,  therefore',  the 
commandments  and  precepts,  if  the  promises  and 
threatenings,  of  the  Bible  have  any  authority,  force  or 
meaning  to  them,  and  we  are  under  the  slightest  ob- 
ligation to  obey,  we  are  so  far  capable  of  obeying. 
Our  moral  responsibility  goes  precisely  to  the  extent 
of  our  moral  ability. 

But  suppose,  as  is  so  largely  believed  and  taught 
in  Christian  churches,  that  we  are  bom  into  the 
world  depraved,  with  a  corrupt  and  jrerverted  nature 
inherited  from  Adam ;  that  we  are  created  by  God 
"  utterly  indisposed,  disabled,  and  made  opposite  to 
all  good,  and  wholly  inclined  to  all  evil."  Suppose 
this  were  so,  why  does  God  require  us  to  be  good, 
and  do  good  ?  Does  he  expect  a  corrupt  tree  to  bring 
forth  good  fruit  ?  Does  he  insist  on  gathering  grapes 
of  thorns,  and  figs  of  thistles  ? 

And  why  has  he  given  us  the  Bible  ?  Why  has 
he  given  us  a  moral  law  ?  What  reason  or  justice  is 
there  in  such  commands  as  these — "  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  the  heart,  and  soul,  and 
strength,  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself;  If  thine  enemy 
hunger,  feed  him,  if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink ;  Re- 
compense no  man  evil  for  evil,  but  overcome  evil 
with  good  ;  Let  all  bitterness,  and  wrath,  and  anger, 
be  put  away  from  you,  with  all  malice  ;  xlbstain  from 
all  fleshly  lusts,  which  war  against  the  soul ;  Cleanse 
yourselves  from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit, 
for  as  he  that  hath  called  you  is  holy,  so  be  ye  holy, 
})crfcct  even  as  your  Father  in  heaven  is  perfect ; 
Abstain  from  ail  appearance  of  evil." 

Is  it  possible  for  any  intelligent  Christian,  in  the 
face  of  these   and  a  thousand  other  like  exhortationa 


THE  MORAL  ABILITY  OF  MAK.  151 

and  commands,  to  believe  that  mankind  are  by  nature 
totally  depraved,  and  wholly  incapable  of  good  in 
deed,  or  thought,  or  feeling  ?  Is  it  likely  that  the 
God  who  commands  these  virtues,  has  made  it  impos- 
sible for  us,  of  ourselves,  ever  to  attain  to  them? 
That  he  has  suffered  us  to  come  into  the  world  inher- 
iting from  Adam  a  nature  "  prone  to  all  evil,  full  of 
all  wickedness,"  and  then  bidden  us,  under  the  threat 
of  endless  torment,  to  be  holy  as  he  is  holy,  perfect 
as  he  is  perfect  ?  Is  it  possible  for  any  sincere  and 
pious  believer  in  the  Christian  Scriptures,  so  shock- 
ingly to  defame  the  justice  and  goodness  of  our 
Father  in  Heaven  ?  Is  it  not  much  more  reasonable 
to  suppose,  since  he  has  exhorted  and  commanded  us 
to  be  good,  that  we  can  be  good  of  ourselves ;  and 
that  if  we  are  evil,  it  is  because  we  choose  it,  and  not 
because  we  have  "  wholly  lost  all  ability  of  will  to  any 
spiritual  good  ?  " 

Take  this  example  :  "What  doth  the  Lord  require 
of  thee,  O  man,  but  to  do  justly,  to  love  mercy,  and  to 
walk  humbly  with  thy  God."  On  reading  this,  is  it 
not  the  first  thought  and  conviction  with  every  man, 
that  he  can  do  it  ?  that,  if  he  will  make  the  effort,  he 
has  the  moral  ability  to  obey  this  requirement  ?  And 
does  not  every  one  who  reads  this,  instinctively  feel 
that  the  very  fact  that  God  has  given  us  this  com- 
mandment, is  proof  conclusive  that  we  have  the  pow- 
er to  conform  to  it?  Truly,  as  we  have  said,  the 
whole  Bible  is  a  complete  riddle,  an  insolvable  prob- 
lem, if  the  doctrines  of  original  sin,  and  hereditary 
total  depravity,  be  true. 

The  plain  doctrine  of  the  Scriptures,  direct  and  in- 
ferential,   is  that  of  the    entire   rectitude   of  human 


';52  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

nature.  Every  mortal  brought  into  existence,  is 
placed  on  the  same  moral  level  with  Adam  and  Eve, 
equally  innocent  and  pure,  hindered  in  no  thing  more 
than  they  were, 'having  the  same  moral  qualities  and 
unimpaired  faculties,  the  same  ability  to  reject  evil 
and  choose  good,  that  they  had.  Whatever  differences 
exist  between  individuals,  are  always  relative  to  the 
demands  made  on  them.  If  God  has  given  only  one 
talent,  he  does  not  ask  five  in  return.  He  expects 
only  in  the  ratio  of  his  original  gifts.  He  holds  us 
to  a  just  improvement  of  our  talents,  and  to  strict 
obedience  to  our  moral  sense  ;  and  if  we  fail  in  this, 
he  inflicts  the  deserved  punishment — but  he  does  not 
hold  us  responsible  for  the  failure  of  Adam,  or  pun- 
ish us  for  a  sin  committed  thousands  of  years  before 
we  were  born. 

The  man  of  to-day  is  created  as  pure  as  the  first 
man,  but  also,  as  he  was,  liable  to  sin.  He  com- 
mences his  career  as  Adam  did,  without  knowledge 
or  experience,  without  positive  character  of  any  sort ; 
for  character  is  the  product  of  action.  He  has  wants 
and  desires,  and  is  subject  to  strong  necessities  and 
temptations ;  and,  being  ignorant,  he  is  easily  deceiv- 
ed, and  under  the  blind  impulse  of  passion,  goes 
wrong,  misjudges  his  interests,  mistakes  the  means  of 
happiness,  and  transgresses  the  law  of  God.  But  ho 
is  free  to  choose  good  or  evil;  and  he  is  capable  of 
goodness,  virtue,  and  obedience,  by  nature,  of  his 
own  free  will.  And  this  was  the  uniform  teachinjx  of 
the  primitive  church.  The  dogma  o^  human  inahili- 
ty  was  unknown  to  the  Christians  of  the  first  four 
centuries.  Let  us  hear  some  of  the  witnesses  on  this 
point : 


THE  MOEAL  ABILITY  OF  MAX.  153 

1.  Ignatius^  a  contemporary  of  the  Apostles,  says  : 
— "  I  do  not  speak  of  t^Yo  natures  of  men,  but  that 
the  one  man  is  sometimes  of  God,  sometimes  of  the 
Devil.  If  one  be  pious,  he  is  a  man  of  God ;  but  if 
any  man  be  impious,  he  is  a  man  of  the  Devil,  being 
made  so,  not  hy  nature^  but  hy  Ms  own  will^ 

2.  Justin  3Iartyr,  A.  D.  140  : — "  For  this  is  the 
nature  of  every  one  that  is  born,  to  he  capable  of  vir- 
tue and  vice ;  for  nothing  would  be  deserving  of 
praise  if  it  had  not  the  power  of  turning  itself  either 
icay.'^ 

3.  Tatian,  A.  D.  172,  says  : — "  Free  will  destroy- 
ed us.  Being  free  we  became  slaves  ;  we  were  sold 
because  of  sin.  No  evil  proceeds  from  God.  We 
have  produced  wickedness  ;  but  those  who  have  pro- 
duced it  have  it  in  tJieir  power  again  to  renounce  it.''^ 

4.  Clement  of  Alexandria,  A.  D.  194  :— "  His  will 
is  that  we  should  be  saved  hy  ourselves.  This^  then, 
is  the  nature  of  the  soul,  to  move  hy  itself  Then 
we,  who  are  rational,  philosophy  itself  being  rational, 
have  some  relation  to  it.  Fitness,  indeed,  is  a  ten- 
dency to  virtue,  but  it  is  not  virtue.  All  men,  then, 
as  I  said,  are  qualified  hy  nature  for  the  acquisition  of 
virtue." 

5.  Tertullian,  A.  D.  200  :— "  Therefore,  though  we 
have  learned  from  the  commands  of  God  both  what 
he  wills  and  what  he  forbids,  yet  we  have  a  will  and 
'power  to  choose  either,  as  it  is  written,  '  Behold,  I 
have  set  before  you  good  and  evil ; '  for  you  have 
tasted  of  the  tree  of  knowledge.  Therefore,  that 
which  is  subject  to  our  own  will,  we  ought  not  to  re- 
fer to  the  will  of  God  :  he  who  wills  no  evil,  wills 
that  we  have  a  will." 


154  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM. 

6.  Origen^  A.  D.  230,  was  a  strong  defender  of 
the  freedom  of  the  wilL  "  This  also  is  settled  in  the 
doctrine  of  the  Church,"  says  he,  that  "  every  rational 
soul  has  free  wilir 

7.  Eusehius,  A.  D.  315  :r-"  The  fault  is  in  him 
who  chooses,  not  in  God.  For  God  has  not  made 
nature  or  the  substance  of  the  soul  had  ;  for  he  who 
is  good  can  make  nothing  but  what  is  good.  Every 
thing  is  good  lohich  is  aeeording  to  nature.  Every 
rational  soul  has  naturally  a  good  free  ivill^  formed 
for  the  choice  of  that  which  is  good." 

8.  Athanasius,  A.  D.  326  : — "  For  the  knowledge 
and  accurate  comprehension  of  the  way  of  truth,  we 
have  need  of  nothing  hut  ourselves.  Not  as  God  is 
above  all  things,  so  is  the  way  which  leads  to  these 
things  remote  or  extraneous  to  ourselves,  but  it  is  in 
ourselves,'^  -^ 

SECTION      II. 

SPECIAL    PROOFS    OF    THE    RECTITUDE   OF   HUIIAN   NATURE. 

A  few  direct  testimonies  under  this  head,  will  illus- 
trate the  correctness  of  the  preceding  argument,  and 
show  that  the  Bible,  the  primitive  Church,  and 
Human  Nature,  are  at  one  on  this  point. 

§  I.  The  argument  of  Ezehiel  xviii.,  is  a  complete 
refutation  of  the  doo-ma  of  orio;inal  sin  and  inherited 
depravity,  as  well  as   that  of  total  depravity.     "  If  a 

^  BuRNAP's  "  Roctitude  of  Human  Niiture,"  pp.  309-314;  Nc.indcr's 
History,  vols.  i.  &  ii.  Tcrtullian  and  others  believed  in  depravity  in- 
licritcd  from  Adam,  what  they  called  a  "  second  nature,  which  has  its 
own  God  and  Father,  even  the  author  of  the  corruption  himself ;  but 
gOv)duess  still  resides  in  the  soul,  that  original,  god-like  and  genuine 
thing,  u-liich  is  its  own  proper-nature.^^  Be  Anima,  cap.  41.  Nean- 
der,  vol.  ii.  i>p.  JJuO-OOl.  This  is  a  very  dificrcnt  thing  from  being  ut- 
terly iucai:<!ble  of  goodness. 


RECTITUDE  OF  HUM  AX  XATUKE.  155 

man  be  just,  and  do  that  which  is  lawful  and  right, 
he  shall  surely  live,  saith  the  Lord  God."  But  how 
can  he  be  just,  or  do  what  is  lawful  and  right,  if  by 
nature  he  is  "  wholly  inclined  to  all  evil,"  and  has 
"  a  corrupted  nature  conYe3^i2d  from  our  first  parents, 
whereby  he  is  utterly  indisposed,  disabled,  and  made 
opposite  to  all  good  ?  " 

Again,  speaking  of  the  wicked  and  violent  man,  we 
are  told  that  "  if  he  beget  a  son  that  seeth  his  father's 
bias  which  he  hath  done,  and  considereth,  and  doeth 
not  such  like  ;  he  shall  not  die  for  the  iniquity  of  his 

i'ather — he  shall  surely  live The  son  shall  not 

bear  the  iniquity  of  the  father,  neither  shall  the 
father  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  son  :  the  righteousness 
of  the  righteous  shall  be  upon  liim^  and  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  wicked  shall  be  upon  himJ''' 

How  utterly  this  repudiates  the  imputation  of 
Adam's  sin,  and  the  transmission  of  his  corrupt 
nature,  to  all  his  posterity,  both  the  guilt  and  the  pun- 
ishment of  it.  How  sharp  the  contrast  between  this 
teaching  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  v/hat  follows  from 
the  Institutes  of  Calvin  : — '*  We  all,  therefore,  who 
spring  from  a  corrupt  seed,  are  born  infected  with  the 
contagion  of  sin ;  nay,  before  we  behold  the  light  of 
life,  we  are,  in  the  sight  of  God,  polluted  and  defil- 
ed; "  and  "  in  the  person  of  one  man  are  given  over  to 
eternal  death.'''* 

With  this  comparison  of  Bible  and  creed,  we  can 
well  understand  the  apostle's  meaning,  when  he 
says  "  the  wisdom  from  above  is  pure,  peaceable,  full 
of  mercy,  and  without  partiality,"  while  that  from 
beneath  is  "  earthly,  sensual,  and  devilish." 

§11.   The  argument  of  Paul  in  Homans  ii.,  is  to 


156  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

tlic  same  point :  "  For  when  the  Gentiles,  which  have 
not  the  hiAv,  do  hy  nature  the  things  contained  in  the 
law,  these,  having  not  the  law,  are  a  law  unto 
themselves  ;  which  show  the  work  of  the,  laiu  written 
in  their  hearts^  their  conscience  also  bearing  witness, 
and  their  thoughts  the  meanwhile  accusing,  or  else  ex- 
cusing, one  another." 

Now,  how  could  these  Gentiles  do  hy  nature^  the 
things  in  the  law,  if  by  nature  they  were  totally  de- 
praved, and  wholly  inclined  to  all  evil  ?  How  could 
they  "  show  the  work  of  the  law  written  in  their 
hearts,"  if  they  were  "  altogether  defiled,  blind  in 
spirit,  and  corrupt  in  heart  ?  "  Manifestly  either 
Paul  is  wrong,  or  the  creed  is  wrong ;  and  the  intel- 
ligent Christian  will  readily  decide  between  them,  and 
accept  the  scriptural  doctrine  of  the  original  recti- 
tude of  human  nature,  whether  in  Jew  or  Gentile. 

§  III.  Christ  and  little  Children. — "  And  Jesus 
called  a  little  child,  and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  them, 
and  said,  Yerily  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  be  con- 
verted^ and  hecome  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter 
into  the  kiniidom  of  God."  "  Suffer  the  little  chil- 
dren  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  ''Take  heed  that 
ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones,  for  I  say  unto 
you,  that  in  heaven  their  angels  do  always  behold 
the  face  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

Now,  can  we  imagine  an  argument  more  conclu- 
sive aorainst  the  doctrine  that  we  are  born  into  the 
world  corru2:)t  and  defiled  because  of  Adam's  sin, 
tlian  this  lauij-ua^jje  of  the  Saviour  ?  If  children  come 
into  life  depraved,  and  utterly  vile,  "  full  of  all  wick- 
edness, and  hatred  of  God,"  would  Jesus  make  them 
the  symbols  of  the  innocence  and  purity  of  heaven  ? 


RECTITUDE  OF  HUMAN  NATURE.  157 

Let  US  put  by  the  side  of  these  sayings  of  Jesus, 
another  utterance  of  John  Calvin  :  ''  And  so  infanta 
themselves  as  they  bring  their  damnation  with  them 
from  their  mother's  womb,  are  bound,  not  by  the  sin 
of  another,  but  their  own.  For  although  they  have 
not  yet  produced  the  fruits  of  iniquity,  they  have  the 
seed  of  it  enclosed  within  them  ;  nay,  their  loJiole 
nature  is,  as  it  were,  a  seed  of  sin,  so  that  it  can- 
not but  be  odious  and  abominable  in  the  sight  of 
God  !  "  ^ 

And  yet  Jesus  says,  "  Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
God,"  and  tells  us  that  their  angels  do  always  behold 
the  face  of  the  Father.  Yea,  he  even  says  that  ex- 
cept we  become  like  these  little  children  in  spirit  and 
character,  we  cannot  enter  his  kingdom,  we  cannot 
become  his  disciples.  Does  this  look  as  if  their 
whole  nature  was  a  seed  of  sin  ?  Does  it  look  as  if 
Jesus  believed  in  natural  depravity  ? 

But  again,  he  says  we  must  be  converted  in  or- 
der to  become  like  little  children.  Do  we,  by  con- 
version, become  wholly  corrupt ;  or  do  we  become 
pure,  and  good,  and  loveable  ?  Does  not  the  language 
demonstrate  the  natural  purity  and  innocence  of  the 
child  nature  ?     Beside,  if  children  are  by  nature  de- 

^  Calvin'' s  Institutes,  London  edition,  vol.  i.  B.  ii.  p.  198.  The  French 
Confession  says,  that  "  these  little  ones,  while  yet  they  lie  hid  and  un- 
born, are  deserving  of  eternal  death  before  God."  Beecher's  Conjlict 
of  Ages. 

Calvin  and  his  early  followers  were  right  in  this ;  and  their  teaching 
ought  to  be  respected  by  all  sincere  believers  in  total  or  natural  de- 
pravity. If  we  are  born  depraved,  and  there  is  no  change  after  death, 
then  children  dying  in  infancy  must  be  lost;  and  so  "  infant  damna- 
tion" becomes  the  logical  sequence  of  natural  depravity.  Calvin,  with 
a  sublimely  savage  indifference  to  consequences,  pushed  his  logic  to 
this  conclusion  —  but  that  was  trro  hundred  years  ago. 


U8  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

praved,  and  we,  and  all  the  world  are  so,  as  the  doc* 
tnnc  asserts,  how  can  we  become  like  them  in  char- 
acter ?  AYe  are  like  them  now,  depraved,  and  no 
chano-e  can  make  us  more  so. 

How  plain  is  it,  then,  that  the  beautiful  sayings  of 
Jesus  to  his  disciples,  and  to  the  mothers  of  Judea, 
forever  exclude  from  the  Christian  creed,  the  mon- 
strous doctrines  of  inherited  corruption,  original  sin, 
total  depravity,  and  the  whole  horrid  brood  to  which 
they  have  given  birth. 

Now  we  maintain  that  these  testimonies,  which  are 
only  drops  from  the  sea  of  texts  with  which  we  might 
flood  the  subject,  set  the  doctrine  of  the  natural  cor- 
ruption of  human  nature  in  direct  conflict  with  the 
plain  and  positive  teachings  of  the  Bible.  We  insist 
that  the  whole  drift  of  Scripture,  the  entire  sweep  of 
its  doctrines  and  precepts,  go  to  this  point ;  that  man 
is  naturally  good,  that  he  is  morally  capable  of  doing 
good,  obeying  the  law,  loving  his  fellows,  pleasing 
God,  and  keej^ing  his  heart  turned  toward  heaven. 

Of  course,  he  is  not  held  up  by  a  constant  miracle. 
He  is  capable  of  doing  wrong  as  well  as  right.  He 
is,  therefore,  liable  to  sin.  He  may,  and  does,  per- 
vert and  abuse  his  powers  ;  and,  instead  of  growing 
up  morally  straight,  and  tall,  and  fair,  and  well-pro- 
portioned, he  is  often  warped,  and  distorted,  and 
gnarled,  like  a  tree  diseased  or  obstructed  in  its 
growth.  Conversion,  or  regeneration,  acts  on  the 
man  in  this  condition  much  as  pruning  or  dressing 
acts  on  the  tree ;  lopping  off  the  twisted  limbs  and 
the  withered  branches,  removing  all  excresences,  cut- 
ting out  all  the  diseased  parts,  clearing  away  every 
obstruction  ;  and  tlius  leaving  it   to   return   to  the 


RECTITUDE  OF  HUMAN  NATURE.  159 

primeval  symmetry,  the  fair  proportions,  the  abun- 
dant fruitage — the  elements  and  germs  of  which  were 
hidden  in  the  original  structure. 

§  IV.  The  argument  from  conscience  and  universal 
conscioicsness. — The  statement  of  the  apostle  regard- 
innj  the  accusino-  conscience  of  the  Gentiles,  the  ex- 
pressions  "  an  evil  conscience,"  "  a  conscience  defil- 
ed," "  conscience  seared  with  a  hot  iron,"  "  convict- 
ed by  their  own  conscience,"  all  go  to  show  that  the 
unregenerate  have  a  conscience.  Now,  it  is  univer- 
sally admitted  that  the  conscience  is  that  faculty 
which  judges  of  actions,  approving  what  it  thinks 
good,  and  condemning  those  which  it  believes  to  be 
evil.  But  if  human  nature  is  totally  depraved,  there 
is  no  such  thing  as  conscience,  no  such  faculty  of  the 
soul  as  that  which  distino-uishes  between  2:ood  and 
evil.  There  is  no  good  to  one  who  is  wholly  evil. 
He  does  not  know,  of  himself,  what  the  word  means, 
nor  the  thing  the  word  represents ;  any  more  than  a 
man  totally  blind,  knows  of  himself  what  light  is. 

So  he  does  not  know  what  evil  is,  as  evil.  He  has 
no  moral  perception,  or  sense,  by  which  to  determine 
the  quality  of  action  ;  and  it  is  absurd  to  talk  of  de- 
filino;  his  conscience,  or  searins:  it,  or  of  his  beina;  con- 
victed  by  it. 

If  we  were  totally  depraved,  we  should  have  no 
convictions  of  conscience,  no  regrets  for  wrong,  no 
remorse  for  the  greatest  crihies.  Sin  would  be  our 
native  element,  in  which  alone  we  should  find  rest 
and  peace  ;  while  goodness  and  virtue  would  be  as 
offensive  to  the  soul,  as  foul  air  is  to  the  lungs.  The 
very  fact,  therefore,  that  wrong  doing  troubles  the 
conscience,  that  sin  and  wickedness  make  us  unhappy, 


160  THEOLOGY  OF  UNIVERSALISM. 

bring  us  pain  and  anguish,  is  decisive  proof  of  the 
na^tural  rectitude  of  human  nature,  and  a  fitting  com- 
mentary on  the  Bible  declaration,  that  "  God  hath 
made  man  upright ;  but  they  have  sought  out  many 
inventions."     Ecc.  vii.  29. 

Then  again,  the  universal  consciousness  of  man- 
kind, bears  witness  asrainst  the  assertion  that  man  is 
totally  corrupt.  Every  man  feels  and  knows  that, 
by  nature,  he  is  capable  of  virtuous,  generous,  and  just 
action  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  instinctively  trusts  in 
the  natural  j^oodness  of  those  around  him.  And  not 
without  reason,  for  the  mass  of  men  are  good  —  not 
saints  to  be  sure,  nor  are  they  devils  —  but  good, 
kind,  friendly,  honest,  just,  and  charitable.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  criminals  are  few ;  the  proportion 
they  bear  to  the  entire  population,  is  small  at  the 
largest. 

And  great  crimes,  examples  of  fiendish  cruelty  and 
ferocity,  are  exceedingly  rare  ;  and  hence  the  aston- 
ishment and  horror  they  create.  If  they  were  as 
common  as  they  should  be  on  the  hypothesis  of  total 
depravity,  we  should  become  familiar  with  them,  and 
they  would  excite  no  wonder ;  and  all  men,  being  of  the 
same  spirit,  would  rejoice  in  them.  And  this  is  pre- 
cisely the  state  of  things  demanded  by  the  dogma  in 
review — not  that  a  few,  but  that  the  whole  communi- 
ty should  be  engaged,  not  occasionally,  but  perpetu- 
ally, in  all  manner  of  evil,  evil  in  its  worst  forms. 

But,  instead  of  this,  as  remarked,  the  multitude 
are  well  disposed,  inclined  to  goodness,  kind  of  heart, 
ready  to  render  relief,  to  help  the  needy,  and  to  com- 
fort the  distressed.  The  crowd  rushing  to  the  aid  of 
the  sufferers  by  fire  or  explosion,  the  rough  sailor  who 


ETC.  161 

flings  himself  into  the  sea  to  rescue  one  whom  he 
never  saw  before,  the  little  girl  sobbing  over  her 
wounded  kitten  or  canary,  the  brave  boy  who  gives 
up  his  sled  to  a  young  beggar  for  a  coast,  woman 
watching  at  the  sick  bed  of  a  stranger,  or  hurrying 
througli  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell  to  bring  water  to 
the  wounded  among  her  enemies,  to  the  destroyers  of 
her  home  —  every  one  of  these  is  a  witness  to  the 
natural,  innate  goodness,  of  the  human  heart.  And 
the  universal  admiration  which  such  actions  command, 
the  conscious  feeling  of  all  men  that  they  are  beauti- 
ful and  heavenly,  are  so  many  additional  proofs  that, 
notwithstanding  the  sin  of  Adam,  the  divine  nature 
still  lingers  in  the  soul  of  man. 

SECTION    III. 

CRITICISM  OF  TEXTS  CITED  IX  PROOF  OF  NATURAL  DEPRAVITY. 

There  are  a  few  passages  which  may  seem  to  re- 
quire a  brief  notice  before  dismissing  the  subject  of 
this  chapter.  But  if  no  satisfactory  explanation 
could  be  given,  it  would  be  wiser  to  conclude  that  we 
do  not  understand  them,  and  wait  for  farther  light, 
than  to  interpret  them  in  a  way  to  conflict  with  the 
general  teaching  and  spirit  of  the  Bible. 

(1.)  "  TliQ  wicked  are  estranged  from  the  womb  ; 
they  go  astray  as  soon  as  they  he  horn^  sj)eaTcing  liesy 
Ps.  Iviii.  3.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  this  is  only  a  bold 
form  of  speech,  a  strong  hyperbole,  for  describing  the 
great  wickedness  of  the  lying  enemies  to  whom  David 
is  supposed  to  allude  in  this  Psalm.  Of  course,  it 
cannot  be  taken  as  literal  fact,  for  babes  cannot  go 
astray  as  soon  as   they  are  born,  since  at  that  time 


162,  TiiEOLoar  of  universalism. 

they  liavc  neither  mental  nor  moral  character  ;  or,  as 
God  him  self  said  of  the  children  of  Kineveh,  "  can- 
not discern  betAveen  their  right  hand  and  their  left 
hand."  Jonah  iv.  11.  Beside,  this  is  not  said  of  all 
mankind,  but  only  of  those  called  specially  "  the 
wicked," 

(2.)  "  Bcliold  1  was  sJiapen  in  iniquity ;  and  in 
sin  did  my  mother  conceive  ^e."  Ps.  li.  5.  This  is 
of  the  same  kind  of  superlative  hyperbole  with  the 
preceding,  expressive  of  David's  conviction  of  ex* 
ceeding  sinfulness.  It  is  the  only  example  of  such 
language  in  the  Bible,  and  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that 
such  a  doctrine  as  that  of  inherited  corruption,  in- 
volving such  tremendous  consequences,  would  be  left 
to  rest  upon  the  doubtful  phraseology  of  a  single 
text.  The  Psalmist  never  talks  about  original  sin ; 
but  his  lamentations  are  all  in  regard  to  his  own  ac- 
tual personal  sins. 

(3.)  "  And  God  saw  that  the  wickedness  of  man 
icas  great  in  the  earthy  and  that  every  imagination  of 
the  thoughts  of  his  heart  vjas  only  evil  continually.'^ 
Gen.  vi.  5.  But  a  few  verses  farther  on,  we  are  cer- 
tified that  this  depravity  was  not  total  nor  constitution- 
al. "  And  God  looked  upon  the  earth,  and,  behold, 
it  was  corrupt ;  for  all  flesh  had  corrupted  his  way.'^ 
Verse  12.  This,  of  course,  shows  that  they  were  not 
originally  corrupt,  that  there  was  a  time  when  "  every 
imagination  of  the  heart  "  was  not  "  evil  continual- 
ly."  If  this  had  been  their  condition  when  born,  it 
could  not  be  said  that  *'  all  flesh  had  corrupted  their 
way."  You  cannot  corrupt  what  is  already  corrupt 
by  nature. 

(4.)  "  And  were  hy  nature  the  children  of  wrath^ 


CHITICISM  OF  TEXTS,  ETC.  163 

even  as  other s.^^  Eph.  ii.  4.  The  argument  drawn 
from  this  passage,  is  stated  as  follows  :  "  If  the  Gen- 
tiles alluded  to  here  were  children  of  wrath,  or  de- 
serving of  punishment,  hi/  nature^  then  they  must 
have  been  sinful  hy  nature  ;  otherwise  they  could  not 
have  deserved  the  wrath  of  God.'' 

But  the  same  apostle,  as  we  have  seen,  says : 
*•  AYhen  the  Gentiles,  which  have  not  the  law,  do  hy 
nature  the  things  contained  in  the  law,"  cfcc.  Now, 
if  they  were  by  nature  sinful,  how  could  they  by 
nature  keep  the  law  ?  Again,  he  says,  God  "  will 
render  to  every  man  according  to  his  works,  .... 
glory,  honor,  and  peace,  to  every  man  that  worketli 
good,  to  the  Jew  first,  and  also  to  the  Gentile.^''  Of 
course,  then,  Gentiles  and  Jews,  all  men,  are  capable, 
hy  nature^  of  "  working  good,"  else  this  passage  is 
without  meaning.  Again,  in  Galatians  ii.  15,  he 
says,  "  We  who  are  Jews  hy  nature^  and  not  sinners 
of  the  Gentiles  ;  "  but,  of  course,  he  does  not  mean 
to  say  that  the  nature  of  a  Jew  is,  constitutionally  or 
morally,  different  from  that  of  a  Gentile ;  but  differ- 
ing only  in  birth,  education,  and  condition. 

These  passages  show  that  the  phrase  "  by  nature  " 
does  not  imply  original  sin,  or  the  inheritance  of  a 
perverted  and  depraved  nature  in  consequence  of 
Adam's  transgression.  All  that  is  intended  is,  that 
the  Gentiles  being  without  the  light  and  guidance  of 
revelation,  were  naturally.,  i.  e.  from  the  nature  of  the 
case,  by  force  of  their  circumstances  and  temptations, 
exposed  to  error  and  sin  ;  and  to  the  consequences  re- 
sulting from  them,  expressed  by  the  word  "  wrath  " 
or  punishment. 

(5.)  "  The  natural  man,  receiveth  not  the  things  of 


104  THKOLOGY    OF    UNIYERSALISM. 

the  Spirit  of  God ;  for  tliey  are,  foolishness  unto 
him :  neither  can  he  hnoio  them^  because  they  are 
spiritually  discerned.^^  1  Cor.  ii.  14.  It  has  been 
taken  for  granted,  that  tlic  "  natural  man "  here 
means  morally  corrupt  by  nature  or  creation  ;  but  it 
is  without  the  slightest  proof.  Its  literal  signification 
is  fleshly,  or  animal,  in  distinction  from  spiritual.  It 
i3  used  in  three  other  passages  in  this  epistle  :  "  It  is 
sown  a  natural  (or  animal)  body,  it  is  raised  a  spir- 
itual body,"  "  there  is  a  natural  body,  and  there  is  a 
spiritual  body,"  "  that  was  not  first  which  is  spirit- 
ual, but  that  which  is  natural^''  xv.  44,  46.  It  is 
plain  that  "  natural  "  in  these  examples,  refers  to  the 
flesh,  the  physical  organization.  In  James  iii.  15, 
and  in  Jude  ver.  19,  it  is  translated  by  the  adjective 
"sensual,"  which  properly  conveys  the  meaning. 

In  these  six  texts,  which  are  all  the  examples  of  its 
use  in  the  New  Testament,  the  meaning  in  five  is 
perfectly  plain,  and  determines  its  meaning  in  the  pas- 
sa2;e  in  review  :  "  The  sensual  man,  (or  the  man  who 
is  in  bondage  to  the  flesh,)  receiveth  not  the  thino-s  of 
the  Spirit,  neither  can  he  know  them,  for  they  are 
spiritually  discerned  ; "  and  the  reason  the  apostle 
gives  as  follows  :  "  For  they  that  are  after  the  flesh, 
do  mind  the  things  of  the  flesh ;  but  they  that  are 
after  the  spirit,  the  things  of  the  spirit."  Then  fol- 
lows this  passage  : 

(G.)  "  Tlie  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against  God ; 
for  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God^  neither  can  be. 
So  then  they  that  are  in  the  flesh  (or,  as  in  the  pre- 
ceding verse,  "who  walk  after  the  flesh,")  cannot 
please  God.'^  Rom.  viii.  7,  8.  The  word  carnal  is 
assumed   to   mean  inherited  corruption,  in  a  moral 


ETC.  165 

t«ense  ;  but,  as  usual,  without  proof.  Paul  speaks  of 
I  lie  duty  of  the  Gentile  converts  to  minister  to  the 
"  poor  saints  at  Jerusalem  in  carnal  things."  Rom. 
XV.  Did  he  mean  things  morally  corrupt,  or  simply 
worldly  things  ?  So  he  says  to  the  Corinthians,  in 
regard  to  their  contributions  for  his  support,  "  we 
leap  your  carnal  things."  1  Ccr.  ix.  11.  And  he 
Fpeaks  of  "  carnal  ordinances."  Heb.  ix.  10.  And 
he  even  calls  the  Corinthian  Christians  carnal,  after 
they  had  been  "  born  again."  "  And  I,  brethren, 
could  not  speak  unto  you  as  unto  spiritual,  but  as 
unto  carnal,  even  as  unto  babes  in  Christ,  ....  for 
ye  are  yet  carnal ;  for  whereas  there  is  among  you 
envying,  and  strife,  and  divisions,  are  ye  not  carnal  ?" 
&c.  1  Cor.  iii.  1-4.  Notwithstanding  their  conver- 
sion, these  Corinthians  were  still  carnal,  or  followed 
the  world,  and  did  the  work  of  the  flesh  :  showin«T 
thereby  that  their  conversion  was  imperfect,  a  change 
of  mind  without  a  change  of  heart,  whereof  there 
are  many  examples  in  this  day. 

It  is  plain  that  "  carnal "  has  substantially  the 
Haine  meaning  with  "  natural  ;  "  not  that  of  inherent 
depravity,  or  constitutional  perversity  and  corruption, 
but  of  bondage  to  the  fleshly  appetites,  a  sensual  and 
evil  life.  And  this  disposition  and  character  are  at 
enmity  with  God,  not  subject  to  his  law  of  righteous- 
ness and  purity.  A  man  of  this  sort  is  averse  to  re- 
ligion, and  to  the  things  of  the  spirit ;  he  does  not 
discern  them,  nor  understand  their  value,  nor  know 
their  joys  ;  for  these  things  are  known  only  to  those 
who  "  walk  after  the  spirit,"  and  are  "  followers  of 
(jod  as  dear  children,"  He  "must  be  born  again" 
before  he  can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and 


l()!j  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALIS^. 

become  a  true  and  accepted  disciple  of  the  Saviour. 
His  heart  must  be  reached,  as  well  as  his  head  ;  he 
must  be  renewed  in  spirit,  and  turn  toward  God 
with  all  his  powers,  consecrating  himself  to  the  new 
life  of  love  and  obedience,  through  Jesus  Christ. 


And  this  leads  us  on  to  the  subject  of  the  next 
chapter.  Tf  w^e  have  attained  to  a  just  scriptural 
view  of  the  nature  and  original  condition  of  Man,  the 
causes  and  results  of  his  moral  defection,  and  the  mis- 
erable state  to  wdiich  sin  has  reduced  him ;  we  are  in 
a  position  to  understand  and  appreciate  the  doctidnes 
of  Regeneration  and  Salvation,  as  set  forth  in  the 
Gospel.  And  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  discern  the 
method  and  means  by  which  the  dead,  in  trespasses 
and  sins,  are  quickened  into  life  and  obedience  ;  or, 
in  other  words,  how,  through  the  truth  and  grace  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  the  renovating  influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  the  life  of  the  soul  is  renewed,  and  the 
repentant  sinner  restored  to  God,  and  reinstated  in 
his  connnunion  and  fellowship. 

The  argument  of  this  chapter,  however,  will  guard 
the  inquirer  against  expecting  to  find  the  Scriptural 
doctrine  of  the  New  Birth,  a  supernatural  change  of 
the  moral  nature.  If  man  is  created  upright,  and 
falls  into  sin  by  his  own  act,  he  needs  only  a  change 
of  heart,  purpose,  character,  and  life  ;  and  not  a 
change  of  nature,  miraculously  and  instantly  wrought 
by  the  Holy  Spirit. 


CHAPTEK     IV. 

THE     SCRIPTURAL     TEACHING    OF    REGENERATION,     OR   THE    NEW 
BIRTH CONVERSION WATER  BAPTISM. 

True  to  tlie  original  purpose  of  this  work,  I  shall 
avoid,  as  far  as  possible,  all  metaphysical,  and  merely 
ethical  discussion  of  the  important  subject  of  this 
chapter  ;  and  confine  myself  to  the  Scriptural  defini- 
tions and  presentation  of  it.  But  this  treatment  will 
necessarily  include  an  exhibition,  to  some  extent,  of 
the  great  practical  elements  of  the  question,  and  their 
bearing  upon  the  religious  life  of  the  individual.  It 
will  show  the  need  of  conversion,  the  means  and  the 
worth  of  Christian  character,  and  the  blessedness  of 
self-consecration  to  God,  and  the  work  of  the  Gos- 
pel, through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

At  the  same  time,  we  shall  find  that  the  Scriptural 
doctrine  diiFers  widely,  as  hinted,  and  that  on  very  es- 
sential points,  from  the  doctrine  commonly  taught 
and  received  in  the  churches,  even  in  its  modernized 
forms.  But  the  honest  inquirer,  the  true  Christian, 
will  follow  the  teachings  of  the  Bible  in  preference  to 
those  of  the  creeds  ;  he  will  feel  that  Inspiration  is 
a  safer  guide  than  the  systems  of  even  the  profound- 
cst  theologians. 


108  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVEESALISM. 

SECTION      I. 

BORN  AGAIN BORN  OF  GOD — BORN  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

"  Yerily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  except  a  man  be 

horn  again,  lie  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God - 

Except  a  man  be  born  of  water,  and  of  the  Spirit,  he 
cannot  enter  into  the  kino-dom  of  God.  That  which 
is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh  ;  and  that  which  is  born 
of  the  Spirit  is  spirit.  Marvel  not  that  I  say  unto 
thee,  ye  must  be  born  again.  The  wind  bloweth 
where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof, 
but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it 
goeth  :  so  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  spirit.'* 
John  iii.  1-13.  See  also  chap.  i.  12,  13,  1  John  iv. 
7  ;  V.  1-5 ;  1  Pet.  i.  23. 

Now,  the  first  inquiry  respecting  these  passages  is 
this  :  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  phrases  "  bom 
again,"  "  born  of  the  Spirit,"  &c.  ?  What  did  the 
Jews  understand  by  this  language  ?  What  was  its 
usaire  amono;  them  ? 

The  expressions  in  review,  were  common  among 
the  Jews,  fiimiliar  as  household  words  ;  and  they  at- 
tached to  them  a  definite  meaning,  one  well  under- 
stood both  by  those  uttering,  and  those  hearing  them. 
This  meanino:  was  conversion  from  Pasianism  to 
Judaism  ;  and  when  in  Jewish  speech  it  was  said  of 
a  man,  that  he  was  "  born  again,"  or  that  he  was  "  a 
new  creature,"  every  body  knew  that  he  had  re- 
nounced his  heathen  opinions  and  practices,  and  be- 
come a  follower  of  Moses  and  the  Law.  No  explan- 
ation was  needed;  it  was  the  every  day  talk  of  Jews 
concerninc:  idolaters  who  had  turned  from  their  idols 
to  the  worship  of  the  true  God. 


rtEGEXERATlOX.  1G9 

For  example  :  "  If  any  one  become  a  proselyte,  lie 
is  like  a  cliild  new  born,"  the  very  same  plirase  used 
by  Peter  :  "  As  new-born  babes,  desire  the  sincere 
milk  of  the  word."  They  say  of  Abraham,  when  he 
renounced  idolatry,  and  became  the  friend  of  God, 
"  He  was  made  a  new  creature."  So  they  say 
also,  "  He  who  repents  must  become  like  a  new-born 
child."  '  Maimonides  declares  that  "  a  Gentik  wdio 
is  become  a  proselyte,  and  a  slave  who  is  set  at  liber- 
ty, are  both,  as  it  were,  new-born  babes  ;  which  is 
the  reason  why  those  who  were  before  their  parents, 
are  now  no  longer  so." 

These  passages,  quoted  from  their  own  writings, 
show  the  popular  usage  of  the  language,  and  the 
thing  meant  by  it  —  viz, :  a  complete  renunciation 
of  Paganism,  and  the  hearty  reception  of  the  religion 
of  Moses. 

Now,  the  thing  which  astonished  Nicodemus  was, 
that  this  language  should  be  applied  to  him  who  was 
born  a  Jew,  and  could  not,  therefore,  as  he  supposed, 
be  proselyted  or  converted.  It  never  occurred  to 
him  for  a  moment,  that  in  becoming  a  disciple  of 
Jesus,  he  was  to  cease  to  be  a  disciple  of  Moses ;  that 
in  embracing  the  Gospel,  he  was  to  renounce  the 
Law.  He  supposed  that  the  Messiah  had  come,  not 
to  establish  a  new  religion,  but  to  reform  and  perfect 
the  old,  to  exalt  and  magnify  the  religion  of  their 
great  prophet  Moses.  The  kingdom  of  God,  or  the 
reign  of  the  Messiah,  was  to  be  only  the  extension 
and  completion  of  the  authority,  dominion,  and  glory 

*  See  LigLtfoot,  Schoettgen,  Pearce,  Ilammond,  and  other  learned 
critics,  as  quoted  in  Paige's  Selections,  and  also  in  Lis  Commentary  on 
the  place.    Home's  Introduction,  Vol.  Hi,,  page  261. 


170  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

of  tlie  law  dispensation.  If  this  teacher,  then,  be 
the  true  Messiah,  he  reasoned,  what  can  he  mean  by 
telling  me  that  /must  be  born  again,  must  become  a 
new  creature,  or  I  cannot  be  accepted  as  his  follower  ? 
He  surely  cannot  mean  that  I  must  renounce  my  faith 
in  Moses,  my  trust  in  the  Law.  Does  he  speak  liter- 
ally, then  ?  If  so,  "  how  can  a  man  be  born  when  he 
is  old  ?  Can  he  enter  the  second  time  into  his 
mother's  womb,  and  be  born  ?" 

The  mistake  of  Nicodemus  is  well  illustrated  by 
Barnes  :  "  It  may  seem  remarkable  that  Nicodemus 
understood  our  Saviour  literally,  when  the  expression 
to  he  horn  again  was  in  common  use  among  the  Jews 
to  denote  a  change  from  Gentilism  to  Judaism^  by 
becoming  a  proselyte  by  baptism.  The  word,  with 
them^  meant  a  change  from  the  state  of  a  heathen  to 
that  of  a  Jew.  But  they  never  used  it  as  applicable 
to  a  JeiJi\  because  they  supposed  that  hy  his  hirth,  he 
was  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  of  the  people  of 
God." 

Seeing  him  thus  doubtful  and  astonished  at  his 
words,  the  Saviour  says,  "  Marvel  not  that  I  said  un- 
to thee,  Ye  must  be  born  again."  Do  not  be  surpris- 
ed that  I  apply  this  language  to  you  and  your  coun- 
trymen ;  for  I  tell  you  plainly,  that  the  conversion  of 
Gentiles  to  the  Law,  does  not  imply  a  greater  change 
of  faith  and  practice,  of  heart  and  life,  than  that  the 
Jews  must  experience  in  their  conversion  to  the  Gos- 
pel. And  if  this  language  is  appropriate  to  describe 
the  conversion  of  the  idolater  to  the  religion  of  Moses, 
it  is  equally  appropriate  to  describe  your  conversion  to 
tlic  new  religion  which  I  now  teach  to  you.  And 
you  must  not  only  be  born  of  water,  or,  in  other 


REGENERATION.  171 

words,  not  only  by  baptism  openly  renounce  Judaism 
and  embrace  the  Gospel ;  but  you  must  also  be  born 
of  the  Sph-it,  become  a  new  man  in  the  whole  conduct 
of  your  life,  a  true  and  faithful  follower  of  the  Gos- 
pel of  salvation. 

And  that  Christ  used  the  expression  "  born  again  " 
in  the  ordinary  Jewish  sense,  is  plain  from  his  sur- 
l)risc  that  Nicodemus.,  being  a  master  in  Israel,  did 
not  understand  him.  If  he  had  employed  it  in  his 
conversation  in  the  new  and  unusual  sense  of  a  chano-e 
of  nature,  or  a  sudden,  mysterious,  and  supernatural 
regeneration  of  the  heart ;  he  could  not  be  surprised 
that  Nicodemus  misunderstood  him,  for  he  had  never 
heard  it  used  in  this  way.  Beside  this,  that  the 
Saviour  did  not  refer  to  the  conditions  of  entrance 
upon  the  immortal  life,  is  proved  by  his  own  declara- 
tion ;  "  If  I  have  told  you  earthly  things,  and  ye  be- 
lieve not,  how  shall  ye  believe  if  I  tell  you  of  heaven- 
ly things."  This  settles  the  point,  that  he  was  speak- 
ing, not  of  tilings  belonging  to  the  heavenly  state, 
but  of  what  pertained  to  the  eaTtJily  sphere  of  his 
kingdom. 

This  passage  thus  explained,  and  thoroughly  unr 
derstood,  we  shall  find  the  main  thought  of  it  pervad- 
ing all  the  other  passages  where  the  phraseology  oc- 
curs. And,  indeed,  it  is  worth  while  to  observe,  that 
out  of  twelve  or  thirteen  examples  of  this  phrase 
"  born  again,"  "  born  of  God,"  or  "  of  the  Spirit," 
eleven  of  them  are  in  John's  writings.  Peter  employs 
the  expression  only  once,  and  then  the  original  differs 
from  that  of  John. 

In  the  first  chapter  of  the  Gospel,  it  is  those  who 
"  received   him,"  and   those  "  who   believed   in  his 


172  THEOLOGY    OF   UXIVEllSALISM. 

name,'*'  that  arc  said  to  be  "  born  of  God;  "  showing 
that  this  last  expression  is  a  definition  of  the  first,  de- 
scriptive of  faith,  and  confession  toward  Christ,  of  re- 
ceiving and  following  him  as  the  "  Teacher  come  from 
God."  So  in  the  fifth  chapter  of  his  first  epistle,  the 
lano-uafre  is  the  same  :  "  Whosoever  helieveth  that 
eTesus  is  the  Christ,  is  born  of  God."  Here  it  is  be- 
lief in  Jesus  that  determines  the  fact  of  the  new  birth  ; 
and  he  adds  that  "  whatsoever  is  born  of  God,  ovcr- 
cometh  the  world,"  and  immediately  explains  by  say- 
ing "  this  is  the  vxtory  that  overcometh  the  world, 
even  our  faith.  Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the  world, 
but  he  that  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God." 
This  was  the  faith^  and  the  victory  over  the  fear  of 
the  world,  to  Avhicli  the  Saviour  urged  Nicodcmus. 
But  this  certainly  required  no  change  in  his  moral 
constitution,  nor  does  it  in  ours  ;  but  a  change  of 
opinion  and  action,  a  conquest  of  self,  of  prejudice 
and  pride,  of  the  fear  of  men,  and  the  love  of  the 
world. 

And  this  change  of  conduct,  this  new  life  of  cour- 
age and  manliness,  of  love  toward  God  and  man,  is 
the  proof  of  having  been  born  again,  the  visible  tes- 
timony to  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth  in  the  heart 
of  the  man.  Hence  John  says  again  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  "  Behold,  let  us  love  one  another,  for  love  is 
of  God  ;  and  every  one  that  loveth  is  born  of  God, 
and  knoweth  God."  How  simple  and  intelligible  this 
statement.  A  child  can  understand  and  master  the 
subject  presented  in  this  form  !  Love  is  evidence  of 
true  faith.  Whoever  is  understandingly  converted 
to  the  religion  of  Jesus,  is  filled  with  love,  love  to  the 
Father,  and  to   all  mankind,  and  thus  shows  that  he 


REGENERATIOJf .  173 

Is  bora  of  God  ;  for,  as  John  says :  "  We  know  tliat 
we  have  passed  from  death  to  life,  because  we  love 
the  brethren."  And  so  the  words  of  Christ  are  con- 
firmed :  "  This  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  hnow 
thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou 
liast  sent."     John  xvii.  3. 

So  James  recognises  the  means  by  which  the  new 
birth  is  accomplished,  with  perfect  distinctness  :  "  Of 
his  own  will  begat  he  us  with  the  word  of  truth,  that 
we  should  be  a  kind  of  first  fruits  of  his  creatures." 
i.  18  ;  or,  as  Peter  has  it,  "  being  born  again,  not  of 
corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  hy  the  word  of 
Gody  1  Pet.  i.  23  ;  or,  as  Paul  expresses  it,  ''  In 
Christ  Jesus  /have  begotten  you  through  the  Gos- 
peiy  1  Cor.  iv.  15.  Thus  we  see  that  Paul  claims 
to  have  done  the  same  thing,  that  James  says  God 
did,  in  regard  to  efifecting  the  new  birth  of  these 
Gentile  converts. 

In  the  one  case  it  is  ascribed  to  God  as  the  ao;ent, 
and  to  the  word  of  truth  as  the  means  ;  and  in  the 
other,  to  Paul  as  the  agent,  and  to  the  Gospel  as  the 
means.  God  is  the  author  of  truth,  or  the  Gos- 
pel, and  Paul  and  Peter  are  the  preachers  of  it ;  and 
through  faith  in  this,  these  Gentiles  were  "  begotten 
in  Christ  Jesus,"  were  "born  again;"  or,  in  other 
words,  entered  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  became 
followers  of  the  Lord  of  life. 

"  Whosoever  is  born  of  God,  sinneth  not ;  but  he 
that  is  begotten  of  God,  keepeth  himself;  and  that 
wicked  one  toucheth  him  not."  1  John  v.  18.  That 
is,  he  who  is  born  of  God,  sinneth  not  habitually^ 
seeks  to  avoid  evil  and  to  follow  good.  Not  that  he 
never  errs  or  sins,  because  John  says  in  this  very 


174  THEOLOGY    OF   UXIVERSALISM. 

epistle,  "If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive 
ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us  ;  if  we  confess 
our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins," 
&c.     1  John  i.  8,  9. 

And  this  is  the  way  in  which  the  new  birth,  or 
conversion,  shows  itself  to  day  as  well  as  in  the  time 
of  the  Saviour  and  of  John.  He  who  has,  in  his 
heart,  embraced  the  religion  of  Christ,  "  purifieth 
himself,  even  as  he  is  pure  ;  "  and,  notwithstanding 
occasional  errors  and  short-comings,  really  strives  af- 
ter a  life  of  holiness.  And,  outside  of  religious  dis- 
cussion, no  one  would  imagine  that  there  was  any- 
thing supernatural  in  the  cause  or  the  process  by 
which  this  conversion  was  brous^ht  about.  Xor  would 
any,  independent  of  creeds,  imagine  that  the  change 
was  the  work  of  a  moment ;  a  sudden,  instan- 
taneous event.  I  do  not  say  that  it  may  not  begin 
suddenly,  in  a  moment ;  but  it  is  never  completed  in 
a  moment.  It  is  the  work  of  slow  and  steady 
growth.  It  is  the  product  of  months  and  years  of 
\vatchings  and  prayings,  of  struggle  and  effort,  of 
battles  and  victories. 

Doubtless  there  is  a  turning  point  in  the  life  of 
every  man,  when  his  attention  is  specially  directed  to 
religious  things,  a  pivotal  moment  on  which  the 
whole  character  sweeps  round  toward  heaven ;  but 
the  force  of  this  de^Dcnds  a  good  deal  upon  the  pre- 
vious life,  the  drift  and  tendency  of  his  thoughts  and 
feelings,  his  temper  and  aims.  Where  the  previous 
life  has  been  worldly  and  sinful,  criminal  and  wicked, 
the  change  is  greater,  and  more  marked  and  visible, 
than  in  those  cases  where  the  man  has  alwaj  s  been 
moral  and  virtuous,  good  and  kind-hearted.  But  in  both 


REGENEKATIOK-.  175 

cases,  it  Is  only  the  beginning  of  a  new  life,  not  the 
completion  of  it ;  ^  the  foundation  of  Christian  char- 
acter, which  now,  with  much  toil  and  struggle,  is  to 
be  built  up  ;  or,  as  the  Apostle  says,  "  grow  up  into 
him  in  all  things,  which  is  the  head,  even  Christ,  from 
whom  the  whole  body  fitly  joined  together,  and  com- 
pacted by  that  which  every  joint  supplieth,  according 
to  the  eflPecfual  working  in  the  measure  of  every 
part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body  unto  the  edifying 
of  itself  in  love."     Eph.  iv. 

This  crisis  of  character,  this  conviction  of  sin,  this 
sudden  facing  about  toward  heaven,  is  the  result  of  a 
variety  of  causes,  according  to  the  variety  of  charac- 
ter, or  of  the  circumstances  of  the  individual.  The 
Holy  Spirit  stands  ever  ready  and  waiting  to  enter 
into  the  soul  of  man,  with  its  sanctifying  and  renew- 
ing power ;  ready  to  take  up  the  varied  experiences 
of  life,  and  consecrate  them  as  agencies  in  this  divine 
work.  Sometimes,  therefore,  it  begins  in  one  direc- 
tion, and  sometimes  in  another ;  these  are  brought  to 
it  by  this  event,  and  those  by  that  event,  entirely  dif- 
ferent, perhaps  the  opposite  of  the  other. 

Some  noble  action,  or  the  example  or  entreaty  of  a 
beloved  friend,  or  the  beauty  of  a  Christian  life,  or 
the  peacefulness  and  calm  victory  of  a  Christian 
death,  may  impress  them,  and  lead  to  self-examina- 
tion, and  a  resolution,  to  follow  and  obey  the  Saviour. 
Perhaps  some  affliction,  or  sudden  bereavement,  en- 
tirely changes  their  estimate  of  the  world,  and  de- 
stroys their  interest  in  all  temporal  things,  reveals  the 

'  Dx\  Griffin  says,  very  correctly,  **  Regeneration  is  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  the  com  m€ncem e  tit  of  holiness  in  the  soul. ' '  Park  Street 
Lectures ^  p,  ilS 


tTG  THEOLOGY    OF  UNIVERSALIS^!. 

emptiness  and  vanity  of  their  pursuits,  and  directs 
their  thoughts  and  hopes  to  the  eternal  truth  and  life 
of  the  Gospel,  as  the  onlj  source  of  abiding  comfort 
and  strength.  Or  it  may  be  that  some  unexpected 
blessing,  some  divine  favor  or  mercy  suddenly  falling 
into  their  lot,  quickens  their  gratitude  toward  God ; 
and,  reminding  them  painfully  of  their  past  indiffer- 
ence and  selfishness,  renews  the  heart  in  faith  and  ai^ 
fection.  Or  possibly  an  alarming  providence,  some 
great  calamity,  a  severe  sickness,  or  the  near  ap- 
proach to  death,  may  startle  the  conscience,  and  com- 
pel them  to  make  an  effort,  at  least,  to  answer  the 
thousand  questions  which  at  such  times  come  crowd- 
ing upon  the  soul.  Any  or  all  these  may  be  among 
the  means  by  which  this  great  change  of  character  is 
inaugurated,  the  point  from  which  dates  the  com- 
mencement of  the  new  life  in  Christ. 

And  over  and  above  these  more  obvious  causes,  it 
must  be  confessed  of  all,  that  God  not  unfrequently 
employs  others  more  subtle,  and  beyond  our  under- 
standing and  explanation.  He  touches  us  with  an 
invisible  finger,  and  we  can  scarcely  tell  how  or 
when  ;  or,  in  the  language  of  Jesus,  as  the  wind 
bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  we  know  not  whence  it 
Cometh,  nor  whither  it  goeth,  so  is  the  Spirit  some- 
times in  its  operations.  Often  thoughts  come  to  us, 
we  know  not  whence ;  impressions  are  made  on  us, 
strangely  and  mysteriously,  we  know  not  by  what 
power  or  agency.  Motives  suddenly  start  to  life 
within  us,  and  we  are  moved  to  action,  to  an  entire 
chano-e  of  fcelino;  or  conduct  in  re^iard  to  certain 
things.  We  suddenly  see  ourselves,  our  lives,  in  a 
new    light ;  and   we  cannot  trace  the   cause  of  the 


EEGEXEEATION.  177 

change,  nor  explain  the  origin  of  this  new  revelation, 
this  secret  influence  acting  on  us.  We  feel  only  that 
the  past  is  dead  to  us,  with  all  its  plans,  and  ambi- 
tions, and  worldly  interests  ;  and  that  we  must  forth- 
with begin  life  anew,  and  aim  at  something  better, 
and  strive  earnestly  to  get  nearer  to  God  and  Christ. 
We  do  not  feel  that  any  miracle  has  come  to  us,  but 
that  God  has  spoken  to  us  in  a  voice  we  never  havo 
heard  before  ;  that  somehow,  by  the  secret  and  subtle 
influences  of  his  providence,  we  have  been  brought 
to  a  point  where  new  interests  have  arisen,  and  the 
affections  are  wakened  to  new  life,  and  we  are  resolv- 
ed to  follow  after  righteousness  and  true  holiness,  all 
the  days  of  our  life.  And  then  comes  the  spirit  o£ 
prayer  and  of  communion  with  God ;  then,  too,  the 
word  of  truth,  the  gospel  of  salvation,  are  taken  up 
with  earnest  study  ;  and  all  the  means  of  grace  and 
regeneration  are  improved  to  the  utmost,  and  with 
full  purpose  of  heart  to  be  "  followers  of  God  as 
dear  children," 

And  now,  the  man  to  whom  any  one  of  these  varied 
experiences  has  come,  finds  that  the  whole  tone  of 
his  character  is  changed,  that  the  whole  effort  of  his 
life  is  heavenly.  To  use  the  beautifully  descriptive 
language  of  Channing  :  "  Once  the  dictates  of  con- 
science might  have  been  heard  ;  now  they  are  obey- 
ed. Once  an  occasional  frratitude  mii^ht  have  shed  a 
transient  glow  through  liis  heart ;  now  the  divine 
goodaess  is  a  cherished  thought,  and  he  labors  to  re- 
quite it  by  an.  obedient  life.  Once  his  passions  were 
his  lords  ;  now  he  bows  to  the  authority,  and  waits 
to  hear  the  will  of  God.  Once  human  opinion  was 
his  guide,  and  human  favor  the  reward  he  proposed 


178  TriEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALIS^!. 

to  himself ;  now  he  feels  that  another  eye  is  npon 
him,  that  his  heart  and  life  are  naked  before  God,  and 
to  approTC  himself  to  this  righteous  and  unerring 
judge,  is  his  highest  ambition.  Once  he  was  ready 
to  repine  and  despond  when  his  wishes  and  labors 
were  crossed ;  now  he  sees  a  providence  in  life's 
vicissitudes,  the  discipline  of  a  father  in  his  suffer- 
ings, and  bears  his  burdens,  and  performs  his  duties, 
with  cheerful  resioTiation  to  him  who  assisrns  them. 
Once  he  was  sufficiently  satisfied  with  himself,  or  un- 
willing to  feel  his  deficiencies  ;  now  he  is  humble, 
ccnscious  af  having  sinned,  desirous  to  discover  his 
eiTors,  contrite  in  his  acknowledgments,  earnest  in  his 
jipplication  to  Divine  mercy,  and  resolute  in  his  op- 
position to  temptation.  Once  the  thouorht  of  a 
Saviour  suffering  for  his  redemption,  and  rising  from 
the  dead  to  reveal  immortality,  excited  little  interest ; 
now  the  promises,  love,  cross,  and  resurrection  of 
Jesus,  come  home  to  him  with  power,  and  awaken 
gratitude  and  hope.  Thus,  by  the  precepts,  doctrines, 
motives,  promises  of  Christianity,  and  by  the  secret 
influence  of  God's  Spirit  on  the  heart,  he  has  been; 
raised  to  a  faith,  hope,  and  love,  which  may  be  call- 
ed a  new  life.     He  has  been  born  aijain."  * 

■"  Cuanning's  Memoirs,  vol.  i.  pp.  256-258,  There  is  a  very  valuable 
paper,  by  Jowett,  in  liis  Commentary  on  Paul's  Epistles,  *'  On  Con- 
version and  Changes  of  Character.'*  It  is  su^estive,  and  shows  the 
results  of  much  thought  and  study.  And  it  is  significant  of  the  direc- 
tion of  the  new  life  which  has  begun  to  quicken  the  dead  body  of  the 
English  Chui'ch.  The  essay  may  be  read  also  in  Noyes'  Collection  oi 
Theological  E^ays. 


IIEGENERATIO:^".  17^ 

SECTION      II. 

REGENERATION — NEW  CREATURE — NEW  MAN — GIVIN<3  A  NEW  HEART- 
CREATING  IN  CHRIST  JESUS — QUICKENING  FROM  THE  DEAD,  &C. 

The  phrases  at  the  head  of  this  section,  and  simi- 
!ar  expressions  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  may 
seem  to  demand  a  special  notice,  as  they  appear  to 
pet  forth  more  strongly,  the  direct  and  irresistible  ac- 
tion of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  passive  heart  of  man, 
in  the  work  of  the  new  birth  or  regeneration.  And 
it  must  be  allowed,  that  some  of  the  texts  cited  in 
this  behalf,  are  worded  in  very  positive  language. 

"Then  will  I  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you,  and 
ye  shall  be  clean ;  from  all  your  filthiness,  and  from 
all  your  idols,  will  I  cleanse  you.  A  new  heart  also 
will  I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  within 
you ;  and  I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart  out  of 
your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  a  heart  of  flesh.  And 
T  will  put  my  Spirit  within  you,  and  cause  you  to 
walk  in  my  statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments, 
and  do  them."  ^     Ezek.  xxxvi.  25-27. 

This  is  certainly  put  in  strong  terms ;  but  the  same 
God  says,  by  the  mouth  of  the  same  prophet,  and  to 
the  same  people :  "  Cast  away  from  you  all  your 
trangressions,  whereby  you  have  transgressed  ;  and 
make  ye  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit ;  for  why 
will    ye     die,  O  house   of   Israel  ? "      Chap,   xviii. 

^  It  is  to  be  observed  that  this  language,  which  is  perhaps  the 
gtrongest  in  the  Bible  for  the  doctrine  that  "  a  change  of  heart "  is 
Avholly  a  supernatural  work,  is  addressed  to  the  "  house  of  Israel,"  and 
refers  to  their  return  from  captivity,  the  sorrows  and  sufferings  of 
which  led  them  to  turn  to  God  with  their  whole  heart.  Of  course  we 
cannot  suppose  a  whole  nation  was  instantly  converted,  by  a  radi  jal 
change  of  nature,  through  the  resistless  action  of  the  Holy  Spii'it. 


180  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVEKSALISM. 

Here  the  people  are  required  to  do  for  themselves  the 
rery  thing  which  God  declares  he  will  do  for  them — 
viz :  to  make  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit.  The 
fiimple  truth  is  God  and  man,  act  together  in  this  re- 
newal, and  sometimes  it  is  attributed  to  one,  and 
sometimes  to  the  other.  God  gives  the  means,  and 
man  improves  them,  and  the  result  is  the  new  heart 
and  sph'it  which  obeys  the  statutes,  and  keeps  the 
judgments  of  the  Lord.  And  thus  is  illustrated  the 
exhortation  of  Paul  to  the  Philippians  :  "  Work  out 
your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling ;  for  it  is 
God  widch  worhetli  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do  of 
Ms  good  pleasured  ii.  12, 13. 

So  in  Ephesians  ii.  iv.,  we  have  the  expression, 
"  We  are  his  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus 
unto  good  worhs^  which  God  hath  before  ordained 
that  we  should  walk  in  them,"  "  the  new  man  Avhich 
after  God  is  created  in  righteousness  and  true  holi- 
ness." But  in  this  very  connection,  the  persons 
themselves  are  required  to  "put  off  the  old  man, 
which  is  corrupt  according  to  the  deceitful  lusts  ;  and 
be  renewed  in  the  spirit  of  your  mind ;  and  tliat  ye 
put  on  the  new  man,"  &c.  So  that  if  the  "  new 
man  "  is  "  created,"  he  is  required  to  aid  in  the  work, 
to  do  his  part  toward  being  renewed  in  the  spirit.  It 
is  not  resistless  grace  on  one  hand,  and  passive  inac- 
tivity on  the  other ;  but  the  joint  work  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  and  the  spirit  of  man.  There  is  no  change  of 
nature,  but  a  right  use  of  the  nature  already  pos- 
sessed ;  nothing  supernatural,  but  the  improvement 
of  appointed  means  to  a  purposed  end. 

"  If  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature  ; 
old  things  are  passed  away  ;  behold   all  things  are 


REGEXEEATIOX,  181 

become  ne\Y."  2  Cor.  v.  17.  The  last  half  of  the 
verse  explains  the  first.  He  who  became  a  Christian 
left  everything  behind,  his  old  faith,  and  feelings,  and 
practices,  and  sins  ;  and  in  all  these  things  became  a 
new  man,  a  new  creatnre  in  Christ, 

The  language  was  common  among  the  Jews.  Thej 
said,  "  Proselytes  to  the  true  religion  (i.  e.  the  Law), 
have  their  souls  created  anew.''''  "  He  who  converts 
another  to  the  Law,  virtually  creates  him."  '*  The 
priest  was  made  a  new  creature  by  the  oil  with 
which  he  was  anointed."  And  of  Abraham  they 
said,  that  on  the  birth  of  Ishmael,  "  he  was  made  a 
new  creature^  that  he  should  beget  sons,  and  become 
great  over  alL" ' 

These  examples  show  its  Jewish  usage,  and  show 
also  how  absurd  it  is  to  attempt  to  build  uj3  the  doc- 
trine of  a  supernatural  change  of  human  nature,  on 
such  elastic  phraseology.  It  is  certain  that  the  Jews 
of  Christ's  time  did  net  use  it  in  this  sense. 

"  And  you  hath  he  quickened,  \\ho  were  dead  in 
trespasses  and  sins."  "  And  you  being  dead  in  sins, 
hath  he  quickened  together  with  him,  having  forgiv- 
en you  all  trespasses."  Eph.  ii.;  Col.  ii.  "  Here," 
it  may  be  said,  ^'  sinners  are  represented  as  morally 
dead,  and  if  moral  death  is  to  the  soul  what  natural 
death  is  to  the  body,  then  they  could  only  be  quick- 
ened into  moral  life  by  the  absolute  Avill,  the  omnipo- 
tent S[  irit  of  God.  They  could  do  nothing  toward 
it  themselves.  If  the  figure  has  any  fitness  or  force, 
they  must  have  been  passive,  and  powerless  to  do 
good,  till   the   Holy    Spirit    renewed    or    re-created 

'  ScHOETT'EX,  as  citcd  in  Expositor  ii.  198,  First  Series. 


182 


THEOLOGY    OF    UXIYERSALISM. 


them.  The  dead  cannot  come  to  life  bv  theiv  OTvn 
efforts."^ 

But  after  all  this  logic,  the  answer  is  in  the  lan- 
guage of  inspiration  itself:  "Wherefore  he  saith. 
Awake  thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise  from  the  dead^ 
and  Christ  shall  give  thee  light."  Eph.  v.  14.  Now 
here  God  calls  upon  the  dead  to  arise  of  themselves, 
and  light  shall  be  given  them.  Either  they  were  not 
so  dead  as  to  be  unable  to  help  themselves,  or  else 
Grod  required  an  impossibility.  Manifestly,  what- 
ever the  moral  condition  symbolized  by  death,  those 
m  this  condition  still  retained  the  power  of  moral  ac- 
tion, and  their  freedom  of  will.  And  they  were  com- 
manded to  work  with  God  in  the  strujjo-le  for  a  new 
life.  Hence  the  apostle  says,  "  We,  then,  as  worhers 
together  with  him^  beseech  you  also,  that  ye  receive 
not  the  grace  of  God  in  vain."     2  Cor.  vi.  1. 

And  so  with  all  the  phraseology  employed  on  this 
subject.  A  little  examination  of  the  language  itself, 
of  the  context,  or  a  comparison  with  other  passages 
of  the  Bible,  will  show  that  two  important  facts  stand 
out  prominently:  Firsts — That  Regeneration  does 
not  imply  a  change  in  the  moral  constitution  of  man ; 
but  a  change  of  opinion  and  character,  of  the  desires 
and  aims  of  life  ;  a  conversion  from  unbelief,  or 
wrong  belief,  and  wickedness,  to  faith,  and  truth, 
and    holiness.      Second., —  That    this    change    is    not 

^See  Boston  Review,  fur  July,  18G2;  IliU's  Lectures  on  Divinity, 
page  539.  Per  contra,  see  Busiixell's  Sermons  on  tlie  New  Life,  pp. 
116,  117  :  "  Tliis  would  be  no  proper  regeneration  of  the  man,  but  the 
generation  of  another  man  in  his  place  ....  a  new  creation  by  the 
fiat  of  Omnipotence.  "  See  also  "  Bibliotheca  Sacra,"  for  April,  1862. 
'^  Doctrines  of  Methodism,'''  and  compare  with  AYesley's  teachings, 
The  world  certainly  moves. 


REGENERATION.  183 

wrought  in  a  moment,  "  by  a  supernatural  and  al- 
mighty influence,  similar  to  that  through  which,  by  a 
word,  God  created  the  world,  or  raiseth  the  dead  ;  " 
but  is  the  result  of  a  proper  use  of  divinely  appoint- 
ed means,  accompanied  by  the  blessino;  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  promised  by  the  Saviour  :  "  Ask,  and  it  shall 
be  given  you  ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find  ;  knock,  and  it 
shall  be  opened  unto  you,  for  every  one  that  asketh, 
receiveth ;  and  he  that  seeketh,  findeth  ;  and  to  him 
that  knocketh,  it  shall  be  opened."     Matt.  vii.  7,' 

§  Water  .Baptism  ;  its  relation  to  the  New  Birth, 
Before  closing,  it  may  be  w^ell  to  call  attention  to  one 
thino^  noticeable  in  all  these  allusions  to  conversion  in 
the  New  Testament  times,  viz  :  the  manner  in  which 
the  baptism  of  the  Spirit,  a  living  and  saving  faith, 
is  associated  with  water-baptism,  as  the  symbol  of 
the  renunciation  of  the  old  religion  and  life,  and  the 
method  of  making  public  profession  of  the  new. 
"  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit, 
he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God."  He 
must  not  only  renounce  his  old  religion  or  error,  and 
confess  the  Truth,  but  he  must  do  it  pubhcly,  not  by 

'  If  Adam  transmitted  a  corrupt  nature  to  liis  posterity,  and  regen- 
eration or  new-birth  takes  away  this  corrupt  natui-e,  and  reinstates  the 
Bubject  of  it  in  the  primal  innocence  and  purity  of  Adam  before  his  fall 
'—if  this  be  the  meaning  of  "  taking  away  the  stony  heari"  and  giving 
'*  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit;  "  then  how  is  it  that  children  born  of 
these  regenerate  parents,  are  born  with  corrupt  natures,  or  with  hearts 
prone  to  all  evil  ?  If  siuncis  beget  sinners  by  force  of  the  moral  law  of 
human  nature,  tlien  by  the  same  law  saints  should  beget  saints.  If  the 
law  of  transmission  hold  good  in  the  corrupt  nature,  why  not  in  the 
regenerate  nature  ?  If  an  evil  heart  may  be  hereditary,  why  not  "a 
new  heart "  ?  It  would  be  so,  if  regeneration  were  a  radical  and  con- 
stitutional change,  the  superiuduction,  or  rather  the  substitution  of  a 
new  moral  nature. 


ISi  THEOLOGY    OF    UNITERSALIS3I. 

night,  as  Nicodemiis  did  ;  he  must  be  baptized,  ai^J 
have  courage  openly  to  side  with  the  truth  of  God. 

To  the  same  point  is  the  language  of  Paul  to  Titus  : 
"  But  after  that  the  kindness  and  love  of  God  toward 
man  appeared,  not  hj  works  of  righteousnes  which 
we  have  done,  but  according  to  his  mercy  lie  saved 
us,  by  the  washing  of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  which  he  shed  on  us  abundantly 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour."  iii.  1-7. 

The  "  washing  of  regeneration,"  is  unquestionably 
baptism,  or  washing  of  water,  the  same  which  Jesus 
mentions,  as  a  sign  of  "  putting  off  the  old  man,"  and 
"  putting  on  the  new  man;"  and  this  was  a  symbol  of 
the  renewing  or  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  through 
Jesus  Christ,  in  whom  "  the  kindness  and  love  of 
God  toward  man  appeared."  And  here,  also,  we  see 
the  means  employed  for  their  renewal  or  conversion 
from  Paganism,  and  a  life  of  wickedness,  ^  to  Chris- 
tianity and  a  life  of  righteousness,  viz  :  the  gospel  of 
divine  love  and  redemption  through  Christ,  and  the 
gracious  influences  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

Paul  makes  "the  washing  of  regeneration,"  and 
"  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  two  distinct 
things ;  as  the  Saviour  did,  "  born  of  water  and  of 
the  Spirit."  In  both  cases  it  is  "  and,"  and  not  "  or.'' 
"  Eegeneration  "  in  the  original,  is  simply  "  birth 
again,"  or  "  born  again  ;  "  and  the  "  washing  "  waa 
the  public  baptism  which  witnessed  to  this  new  birth 
out  of  Judaism  or  Gentilism  into  the  Gospel. 

The  same   connection  is  seen  in  the  command  oi 

^  **For  we  ourselves  also  were  sometime  disobedient,  foolish,  deceiv- 
ed, seryiiig  divers  lusts  and  pleasures,  living  in  malice  and  envy,  hate* 
fttl>  and  hating  one  another."  verse  S. 


REGENERATION.  185 

Christ  to  Ills  disciples  :  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  He  that 
belie veth,  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved  ;  but  he  that 
believeth  not,  shall  be  damned."  Mark  xvi.  15,  16. 
Here  we  have  the  same  union  of  faith  and  profession  ; 
not  only  must  the  convert  believe,  but  he  must  open- 
ly confess  his  faith,  and  show  the  world  that  he  is  on 
llie  side  of  truth  and  righteousness.  And  as  baptism 
at  that  time  was  the  common  method  of  doing  it,  this 
is  accepted  and  sanctioned  by  the  Saviour  for  this 
sjyecijic  purpose*  So  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans, 
we  have  this  declaration  :  "  If  thou  shalt  confess 
with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  believe  in 
thine  heart  that  God  hath  raised  him  from  the  dead, 
thou  shalt  be  saved  ;  for  with  the  heart  man  believeth 
unto  righteousness,  and  with  the  mouth  confession  is 
made  unto  salvation."  x.  9,  10. 

In  the  first  days  of  the  Gospel,  its  reception  and 
diffusion  depended,  in  a  great  measure,  on  its  disci- 
ples openly  confessing  it  before  the  world.  Hence 
much  stress  is  laid  on  this,  and  Jesus,  who  had  little 
regard  for  forms  as  such,  insists  that  they  who  be- 
lieve shall  be  baptized,  because  this  was  the  recogniz- 
ed way,  at  that  time,  of  making  public  profession  of 
conversion  and  faith.  And  if  they  cannot  take  up 
this  cross,  if  they  have  not  courage  and  sincerity 
enough  for  this,  they  cannot  be  saved,  or  accepted  as 
his  disciples  ;  they  are  not  renewed  in  spirit,  they 
have  not  yet  wholly  put  off  the  old  man,  but  are  still 
"  in  bondage  to  the  beggarly  elements  "  of  the  world. 

"Whether  water  baptism  is  now,  in  Christian  lands, 
to  be  regarded  as  a  permanent  rite,  may  be  held  as 
matter  of  question.     Where  children  are,  as  it  were, 


18J  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVEESALISM, 

l)orn  into  the  belief  and  aclvnowledgment  of  Jesus  aa 
the  Messiah  and  Saviour,  baptism  cannot  certainly 
have  the  significance  it  had  in  the  days  of  ancient  Ju- 
daism and  Paganism,  viz,,  the  washing  away  of  an 
old  religion  or  faith,  and  embracing  a  new.  Where 
the  Gospel  is  preached  in  heathen  lands,  and  idolaters 
are  "bom  again,"  in  the  Scriptural  sense  of  the 
term,  the  ordinance  is  unquestionably  in  force,  and 
converts  should  be  required  to  make  public  profession 
of  their  faith  by  water  baptism, 

Nor  can  any  weighty  objection  be  made  to  the  ob- 
servance of  this  rite,  when  a  wicked  man  is  convert- 
ed from  his  evil  ways,  and  is  resolved  to  follow 
Christ  as  his  Master  and  Saviour  ;  provided  it  be 
properly  explained,  and  the  exact  thing  intended  to 
be  expressed  by  it,  is  understood.  If  he  has  been 
called  of  God  to  repentance  and  a  holy  life,  and  has 
obeyed  the  call ;  if  he  is  truly  born  and  baptized  of 
the  Spirit,  and  is  desirous  to  confess  the  faith  in  this 
ancient  form ;  we  should  be  disposed  in  this  case,  and 
in  all  like  cases,  to  take  up  the  words  of  Peter  in  the 
house  of  Cornelius,  "  Can  any  man  forbid  water,  that 
these  should  not  be  baptized,  which  have  received 
the  Holy  Ghost  as  well  as  we."     Acts  x. 


The  doctrine  of  Regeneration,  its  producing  cause. 
and  resultant  effects,  clearly  understood ;  we  are 
ready  to  enter  upon  the  inquiry  respecting  the  nature 
of  Salvation,  what  it  is,  and  what  it  does,  for  man. 
And  we  shall  see,  in  the  progress  of  the  investiga- 
tion, that  Salvation  is  the  end  or  completion  of  that 
heavenly  work  in  the  soul,  that  life  of  consecration  ta 
God,  of  which  the  New  Birth  is  the  beginning.     The 


REGENERATIOX.  187 

New  Birth  is  that  change  of  affections,  desires,  and 
interests,  by  which  the  heart  is  turned  away  from 
earth  to  heaven,  with  an  earnest  effort  to  realize  in 
itself,  the  divine  life  of  Christ.  Salvation  is  that  ef- 
fort realized,  that  diviae  life  attained,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble in  this  world  ;  it  is  that  spiritual  condition  in 
which  the  whole  tide  of  thought,  desire,  purpose, 
character,  and  conduct,  sets  steadily  and  strongly  to- 
toward  God,  and  to  whatsoever  is  pleasing  in  Lis 
sight. 


CHAPTER    y. 

SALVATION WHAT  IT  IS  ?     THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  DOCTEINE. 

The  subject  of  this  chapter  is  the  most  important, 
perhaps,  in  the  whole  range  of  religious  discussion 
and  inquiry.  It  is  more  personal  than  any  other  :  it 
relates  to  the  highest  interest  of  the  soul ;  it  appeals 
to  our  fears  and  our  hopes,  to  our  aifections  and  as- 
pirations, to  all  that  we  love  and  all  that  we  desire  ; 
it  is  the  question  of  destiny  for  time  and  eternity. 

It  is  not  alone  what  is  to  become  of  mankind,  but 
what  is  to  become  of  me  ?  What  am  I  ?  Whence 
came  I  ?  and  whither  do  I  go  when  the  "  silver  cord  " 
of  this  life  is  loosed  ?  What  is  the  purpose  of  my 
beino;  on  this  earth  ?  What  does  Christ  come  to  me 
for  ?  and  what  does  he  seek  to  accomplish  in  me  ? 
and  for  me  ?  How  is  he  a  Saviour  ?  and  what  does 
he  save  me  from  ?  What  is  redemption  through  his 
blood  ?  Is  it  present  or  future  ;  before  death,  or  after 
death,  or  both  ?  Is  it  deliverance  from  the  evil  of 
our  own  hearts,  or  from  some  evil  outside  of  us  ? 
from  judgment  and  punishment,  or  from  a  moral  con- 
dition and  life  which  brino:  these?  Is  it  union  with 
God,  the  life  of  Christ  in  the  soul,  and  the  fellowship 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whenever  and  wherever  these  are 
realized  ? 

These  are  the  questions  which  crowd  upon  us  at 
the  "s  cry  threshold  of  any  inquiry  into  the  object  of 


SALVATION — WHAT  IT  IS.  189 

Christ's  mission,  or  tlie  nature  of  Christian  salvation. 
T  can  only  indicate  the  way,  and  point  out  some  of 
the  leading  features  of  the  question  ;  and  then  leave 
the  reader,  with  the  New  Testament  in  his  hand,  to 
follow  the  investigation  to  its  results,  confident  that 
he  cannot  miss  the  truth  on  this  all-important  sub- 
ject. 

It  is  singular  that  it  has  so  lono;  been  taken  for 
granted,  in  the  Christian  church,  that  salvation  is  de- 
liverance from  punishment,  from  the  penalty  of  the 
divine  law,  from  hell  in  the  sense  of  endless  torment, 
from  the  consequences  of  sin  ;  instead  of  from  sin  it- 
self, from  the  dominion  and  bondage  of  an  evil  heart 
and  a  wicked  life,  and  a  translation  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  And  it  is  the  more 
so  from  the  fact,  easily  verified  by  examination,  that 
never,  in  a  single  instance  of  the  multitude  of  texts 
where  the  words  Saviour^  save,  and  salvation,  are 
used,  are  they  connected  with  any  such  idea  or  defi- 
nition of  salvation.  Nor  is  there  more  than  one  pas- 
sacre  in  which  the  usa2:e  of  the  terms  could  suo^jrest 
such  a  mistake  in  regard  to  the  true  nature  of  re- 
demption by  Christ. 

It  is  possible  that  Romans  v.  9,  might  be  taken  in- 
ferentially,  to  mean  something  of  this  sort :  "  Much 
more  then,  being  now  justified  by  his  blood,  we  shall 
he  saved  from  wrath  through  him."  The  word 
"  wrath  "  here  may  be  supposed  to  refer  to  the  judg- 
ment of  God  against  sin ;  but  even  if  it  do,  it  is  not 
the  judgment  or  punishment  of  sins  already  commit- 
ted, that  is  meant.  What  the  apostle  intends  to  say 
is,  that  we  are  saved,  by  Christ,  from  a  sinful  and 
wicked  life;  and,  so  far,  are  saved  from  the  judg- 


190  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVEIISALISM. 

ments  which  follow,  as  the  natural  and  necessary  con- 
sequence of  a  wicked  life. 

Beside,  the  phraseology  in  this  case  is  peculiar.  It 
is  not  by  the  death  of  Christ,  through  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  popular  theology,  the  atonement  is  made, 
but  by  his  life  that  we  are  saved  from  this  wrcith. 
"  We  shall  be  saved  from  wrath  through  him  ;  for  if 
when  we  were  enemies,  we  were  reconciled  to  God 
by  the  death  of  his  Son,  much  more  being  reconcil- 
ed, we  shall  be  saved  by  his  life."  That  is,  the  death 
of  Christ,  as  an  exhibition  of  divine  love,  has  recon- 
ciled us  to  God,  filled  our  hearts  with  gratitude  and 
affection  ;  and  the  beauty  of  his  divine  life  wins  us 
to  himself,  and  so  saves  us  from  all  the  evils  of  a  sin- 
ful life,  and  that  "  wrath  of  God  which  cometh  upon 
the  children  of  disobedience."    Eph.  v.  6  ;  Col.  iii.  6. 

Let  us  proceed  now  to  the  direct  testimony  re- 
specting the  nature  of  the  salvation  which  Christ 
came  to  work  out  in  man,  and  for  man.  In  the  first 
of  the  following  passages,  the  Saviour  speaks  for 
himself,  and  that,  too,  at  the  very  commencement  of 
»his  ministry  on  earth.  He  reads  the  words  of  the 
prophet  Isaiah,  in  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth,  and 
applies  them  to  himself.  Of  course,  he  knows  what 
God  the  Father  sent  him  into  the  world  to  do  ;  he 
knows  whether  he  came  to  save  the  world  from  sin, 
or  from  the  punishment  of  sin ;  whether  his  salvation 
is  internal  and  spiritual,  or  external,  from  some  evil 
coming  upon  the  soul  from  without. 


SALYATTOX — WHAT  IT  IS.  191 

SECTION     I. 

DIRECT  TESTIMONY  RESPECTING  THE  NATURE  OF  SALVATION. 

Luke  iv.  16-22.  "  And  Jesus  came  to  Xazareth, 
where  he  had  been  brought  up  ;  and,  as  his  custom 
was,  1k3  went  into  the  synagogue  on  the  sabbath  day, 

and  stood  up  for  to  read And  when  he  had 

opened  the  book,  he  found  the  place  where  it  was 
written.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because 
he  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
poor  ;  he  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to 
preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of 
sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are 
bruised,  and  to  preach  the  acceptable  year  of  the 
Lord."  ' 

In  this  public  announcement  of  the  objects  of  his 
advent  on  earth,  and  the  character  of  the  salvation 
he  Avas  sent  to  work  out  in  the  soul  of  man,  there  is 
no  allusion  to  deliverance  from  the  wrath  of  an  an- 
gry God,  or  the  penalties  of  the  divine  law,  or  the 
legitimate  claims  of  divine  justice,  or  the  terrors  and 
torments  of  an  endless  hell.  And  his  entire  silence 
on  these  points,  in  this  his  inaugural  address  on  en- 
tering upon  his  ministry,  is  the  most  demonstrative 
and  conclusive  proof  of  the  falsehood  of  these  dog- 
mas of  the  churches  and  schools. 

It  is  plain  enough,  to  the  most  indifferent  reader, 
that  the  salvation  which  Jesus  sets  forth,  in  his  pro- 
phetic testimony,  as  the  work  on  which  he  was  sent 

^  Why  (lid  Jesus  stop  in  the  middle  of  the  sentence,  and  leave  out  the 
important  declaration,  ^^a?id  the  day  of  vengeance  of  our  God?'' 
doubly  and  trebly  important  if  he  came  to  save  us  from  this.  How  do 
believers  in  this  doctrine  explain  the  omission!  See  the  passage  in 
Isaiah  Ixi.  1-3. 


192  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIYEESALISM. 

of  the  Father,  is  spiritual  salvation,  the  enlighten- 
ment of  the  mind,  the  purification  of  the  heart,  and 
the  peace  and  comfort  of  a  perfect  faith  in  God.  It 
is  good  tidings  to  the  poor  and  friendless,  the  forsak- 
en and  broken-hearted,  good  tidings  of  a  Father's 
love  and  protection,  the  promise  that  he  will  cause  all 
things  to  work  together  for  their  good,  and,  in  thu 
fulness  of  time,  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes  : 
liberty  to  those  in  captivity  to  sin  ;  light  and  sight  to 
those  blinded  by  error  ;  and  healing  and  restoration 
to  those  that  are  bruised  and  wounded  in  the  conflict 
with  temptation  and  evil. 

Other  passages  are  to  the  same  point,  that  the  re- 
demption of  Christ  is  from  sin. 

Acts  iii.  25.  "  God  having  raised  up  his  Son 
Jesus,  sent  him  to  hiess  you^  in  turning  away  every 
one  of  you  from  Ms  iniquities^  This  is  testimony 
direct  to  the  question.  The  inspired  apostle  informs 
us  that  Jesus  was  sent  expressly  to  save  us  from  ini- 
quity^ not  from  the  punishment  of  iniquity.  The  sal- 
vation is  moral,  is  Avithin  the  soul,  is  present  to  us 
here  the  moment  we  believe  in  Jesus,  and  receive  his 
spirit.  Then  sin  has  no  more  dominion  over  us  as 
our  master,  but  we  follow  after  holiness ;  we  are 
washed  and  made  clean  through  the  blood  of  Christ. 

Matt.  i.  21.  "  Thou  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus,  for 
Le  shall  save  his  people  from  their  si?isJ^  Here  the 
Keavenly  messenger,  direct  from  the  presence  of  God, 
declares  that  the  very  name  of  the  wonderful  child 
bhali  be  descriptive  of  his  work.  He  is  to  be  called 
Jesus,  the  Saviour,  b  3cause  he  is  to  save  his  people 
from  their  sins.  Of  course,  his  people  are  sinners,  or 
they  would  need  no  salvation.     Only  sinners  can  be 


SALVATION — WHAT  IT  IS.  193 

gaved  i  only  the  sick  can  be  healed.  The  salvation 
of  the  sinner,  is  the  healing  of  the  soul,  the  removal 
of  the  palsy  of  sin,  and  its  restoration  to  righteous 
health  and  strength.  What  palsy  is  to  the  body,  sin 
is  to  the  soul.  What  healing  is  to  the  body,  redemp- 
tion is  to  the  soul. 

Titus  ii.  11-14.  "  For  the  grace  of  God,  which 
bringeth  salvation,  hath  appeared  to  all  men,  teach- 
ing us  that  denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts, 
we  should  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in 
this  present  world  ;  looking  for  that  blessed  hope, 
and  the  glorious  appearing  of  the  great  God,  and  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  who  gave  himself  for  us,  that 
he  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity.,  and  jiurify 
unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 
works."' 

Nothing  can  be  more  explicit  and  conclusive  than 
the  entire  phrasing  of  this  passage.  It  not  only  af- 
firms that  Christ  gave  himself  to  redeem  us  from  ini- 

1  Paul  did  not  say  that  "  the  grace  oCGod  had  appeared  to  all  men'' 
at  the  time  he  wrote;  for  it  had  appeared  to  comparatively  very  few. 
It  has  not  ^appeared  to  all  men  even  now,  after  eighteen  centuries. 
What  he  did  say  was,  "  the  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  to  all 
men^  hath  appeared"— and  the  translator  shave  put  this  in  the  margin, 
when  they  ought  to  have  put  it  in  the  text.  The  Greek  is  'E-i4>qvt}  yup 
II  ^QQii  Tov  Qeou  r'l  aoTTipioi  rramv  avOow-ois;  which  literally  translated  is, 
*'  For  there  has  appeared  the  grace  of  God,  bringing  salvation  to  all 
men."  Bloomfield  says,  "Trdo-d/  ai/OpuTrois  must  be  construed  not  with 
t-KKlmn],  but  with  n  (TU)T>ipios.''  The  Vulgate  has,  "  apparuit  enim  gratia 
Dei  salutaris  omnibus  hominibus.'''  Beza  has  the  same  construction; 
and  the  French  Protestant  version  of  Paris  renders  it,  "  Car  la  grace 
de  Dieu  salutaire  a  tons  Ics  homines  a  ete  manifestee.'"  Dr.  A. 
Clarke  justly  says:  "Had  our  translators,  who  were  excellent  and 
learned  men,  leaned  less  to  their  own  peculiar  creed  in  the  present  au- 
ihorized  version^  the  Church  of  Christ  would  not  have  been  so  agi. 
tated  and  torn  as  it  has  been  with  polemical  divinity."  Note  on 
Heb.  vi.  G. 


194  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

qiiity,  to  save  us  from  sin  ;  but  the  wliole  connection 
is  built  upon  the  fact,  that  salvation  is  from  ungodli- 
ness, and  worldly  lasts,  and  evil  works. 

The  doctrine  is,  that  Christ  comes  to  redeem  us 
from  sin ;  and  the  precept  consequent  upon  this  doc- 
trine is,  that  we  should,  therefore,  deny  all  ungodli- 
ness, and  wicked  works,  and  live  soberly  and  right- 
eously, in  this  present  world.  This  is  the  practical 
teaching  of  "  the  grace  of  God,  which  bringeth  sal- 
vation to  all  men  ;  "  and,  as  every  one  sees,  from  the 
nature  of  the  salvation,  the  practice,  or  the  morality 
enjoined,  is  the  logical  sequence  or  necessity  of  the 
doctrine.  The  injunction  to  "  live  soberly,  righteous- 
ly, and  godly,  in  this  present  world,"  brings  us  natu- 
rally to  the  next  testimony. 

Galatians  i.  3-5.  "  Grace  be  unto  you,  and  peace 
from  God  the  Father,  and  from  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  gave  himself  for  our  sins,  that  he  might 
deliver  us  from  this  'present  evil  worlds  according  to 
the  will  of  God  and  our  Father :  to  whom  be  glory 
for  ever  and  ever.     Amen." 

Is  not  this  a  strange  and  inexplicable  passage,  if 
Christ  came  to  save  us  from  the  torments  of  a  future 
evil  world  ?  If  the  popular  theory  be  correct,  if  this 
is  what  the  Saviour  delivers  us  from,  is  it  not  pass- 
ing wonderful  that  the  Holy  Spirit  should  dictate  to 
Paul  to  write  "  tliis  present  evil  world,"  instead  of 
"  that  future  evil  world  ?  " 

Is  it  not  plain,  then,  from  this  witness  of  the  inspir- 
ed apostle,  that  the  salvation  which  Christ  comes  to 
accomplish  for  the  human  race,  is  deliverance  from 
the  actual  sin  and  moral  corruption  of  the  life  that 
now  is,  and  not  from  threatened  punishments  in  the 


SALVATION — WHAT  IT  IS.  195 

life  to  come  ?  Is  it  not  proof  indisputable  that  Chris- 
tian salvation  is  inward  and  spiritual,  and  not  outward 
and  material ;  from  disobedience  itself,  and  not  from 
the  penalties  of  disobedience  ?  It  would  seem  im- 
possible to  imagine  testimony  more  positive  in  lan- 
guage, or  more  direct  to  the  point  in  review. 

John  i.  29.  "  John  seeth  Jesus  comin2:  unto  him, 
and  saith,  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world."  Here,  again,  the  wit- 
ness is  the  same,  "  he  taketh  away  the  sin^'^  not  the 
punitive  consequence  of  sin,  not  the  penalties  of 
that  law  of  which  sin  is  the  transgression.  And  John 
the  apostle  is  in  perfect  agreement  on  this  point  with 
John  the  Baptist,  for  he  testifies  that  "  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  siny  1 
John  i.  7.  And  the  writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  has  the  same  testimony  :  "  How  much  more 
shall  the  blood  of  Christ,  who,  through  the  eternal 
bpirit,  offered  himself  without  spot  to  God,  purge  the 
conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the  livino:  God.'' 
ix.  14.  From  sin  and  dead  works,  the  blood  of 
Christ  redeems  us,  purges  the  conscience,  and  restores 
us  to  the  service  of  the  living  God. 

There  is  a  remarkable  passage,  on  this  point,  in 
Paul's  Epistle  to  Titus,  chapter  iii :  "  For  we  our- 
selves also  were  sometimes  foolish,  disobedient,  de- 
ceived, serving  divers  lusts  and  pleasures,  living  in 
malice  and  envy,  hateful,  and  hating  one  another. 
But  after  that  the  kindness  and  love  of  God  our 
Saviour  toward  man  appeared,  not  by  works  of  right- 
eousness which  we  have  done,  but  according  to  his 
mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the  washing  of  regeneration, 
and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  he  shed  on 
U3  abundantly  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 


196  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM. 

Here  salvation  is  directly  identified  with  a 
tlioroufli  reform  of  cliaracter,  a  deliverance  from 
evil  feelings  and  ha,bits,  from  hateful  lusts  and  pas- 
sions, a  conversion  from  an  ungodly  and  wicked  life, 
to  a  life  of  holiness  and  obedience  to  God.  And,  ob- 
serve, that  this  salvation  is  not  future,  but  past ;  it 
had  already  been  realized  —  "he  aaxted  us."  And 
then  he  urges  Titus  so  to  preach  to  them  that  they 
may  continue  in  a  godly  life,  or  continue  in  this  sal- 
vation :  "  that  they  which  have  believed  in  God, 
mio-ht  be  careful  to  maintain  2:ood  works  "  —  faith 
and  practice,  one  and  inseparable.  Observe,  also, 
that  this  conversion  and  salvation  was  wrouo;ht  out 
by  the  manifestation  through  Christ  of  "  iha  Idndness 
and  the  love  of  God  our  Saviour ;  "  not  by  his  wrath 
or  judgments,  not  by  the  terrors  of  the  law,  or  the 
fear  of  a  fabled  hell.  The  apostle  offers  no  thanks 
for  an  escape  from  these  ;  nor  does  he  so  much  as 
allude  to  them,  but  speaks  with  grateful  heart  of 
being  saved  from  their  former  vicious,  sensual,  and 
sinful  life. 

These  Bible  winesses  might  be  indefinitely  multi- 
plied, but  what  has  thus  far  been  adduced,  is  suflScient 
to  justify  us  in  saying,  that  if  Christ  did  come  to  save 
us  from  the  just  and  deserved  punishments  of  sin,  if 
he  did  come  to  ransom  us  from  the  torments  of  a 
future  world,  the  men  of  God  who  are  teachers,  the 
Saviour  himself,  the  Holy  Spirit  of  Inspiration,  have 
not  only  failed  to  say  this,  but  they  have  substituted 
something  else  entirely  different  in  the  place  of  it ! 
This  the  Christian  cannot  believe,  and  therefore  he 
must  no  longer  associate  with  the  beautiful  words 
"  salvation,"    "  redemption,"    "  reconciliation,"    the 


SALVATION — WHAT  IT  IS.  197 

false  idea  of  deliverance  from  pains  and  penalties,  but 
deliverance  from  the  evil  heart  of  unbelief  which 
brings  these.  He  need  strive  no  more  to  escape  a 
future  hell ;  but  let  him  labor  to  escape  from  the  pre- 
sent captivity  of  sin,  from  the  bondage  of  his  lusts 
and  passions,  "  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  chil- 
dren of  God."  This  is  heaven,  or  at  least  the  begin- 
ning of  it ;  and  it  is  as  real  now  as  in  the  future,  as 
possible  on  this  side  the  grave  as  on  the  other,  l 

SECTION    II, 

FIGURES  AND  METAPHORS    ILLUSTRATING  THE  NATURE  OF    SALVATION. 

There  are  numerous  figures  of  speech  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, which  will  help  us  to  understand  the  kind  of 
redemption  which  Jesus  brings  to  the  soul  of  man. 
A  brief  review  of  a  few  of  these  will  add  to  the  pre- 
ceding argument,  and  shed  light  upon  this  important 
inquiry. 

^  Wesley  seems  to  have  seen  the  truth  on  this  point :  "  By  salvation, 
I.  mean  not  barely,  accor(/i/i5'  to  the  i;zfZ(7ar  7io/iOrt,  deliverance  from 
hell,  or  going  to  heaven,  but  a  present  deliverance  from  sin.  Now,  if 
by  salvation  we  mean  a  present  salvation  from  sin,  we  cannot  say  holi- 
ness is  the  condition  of  it;  for  it  is  the  thing  itself.^'  Ward's  "  View 
of  all  Religions. ' ' 

The  following  from  an  orthodox  journal  is  prophetic  of  progi'ess: 
**  The  genei'al  idea  of  salvation  is,  that  it  consists  in  going  to  a  cer- 
tain place,  called  heaven.  With  this  pZace  is  connected  the  idea  of  be- 
ing perfectly  happy.  This,  however,  is  a  very  loose  way  of  thinking  on 
BO  momentous  a  subject. — It  is  not  the  place  that  makes  the  inhabitants 
whflt  they  are,  but  it  is  they  that  make  the  place  what  it  is.  Heaven 
is  what  it  is  because  of  the  character  of  those  who  dwell  there.  Any 
world — any  place  would  be  a  heaven,  if  filled  with  pei-fectly  holy  beings. 
AVhether  a  man  is  saved  or  not  depends  on  wh<it  he  is,  not  on  where  he 
goes.  The  sinner  desires  salvation,  or  complete  happiness.  He  will 
get  it,  not  by  a  change  of  place,  not  by  going  out  of  the  body,  not  by 
getting  into  the  company  of  the  good,  but  by  getting  rid  of  his  moral 
tnalciy — by  becoming  holy." 


198  THEOLOGY  OF  UXIVERSALISM. 

1.  We  are  refined  and  p7irified  as  silver,  Mai.  ill. 
1-3.  "  For  he  is  like  a  refiner's  fire,  ....  lie  shall 
sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of  silver ;  and  he  shall 
purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  and  purge  them  as  gold  and 
silver,  that  they  may  offer  unto  the  Lord  an  offering 
in  rio-hteousness." 

This  figure  shows  that  Christ  saves  us  from  some- 
thing  from  which  we  are  to  be  purified,  something 
that  makes  a  part  of  us  now,  and  from  which  we  are 
to  be  separated  by  a  refining  process  like  that  which 
separates  the  pure  silver  from  the  dross.  Now,  this 
language  is  not,  in  any  sense  applicable  to  punish- 
ment, to  the  penalty  of  the  divine  law,  the  wrath  of 
God,  or  any  of  their  equivalents.  We  cannot  be 
purified />'077i  judgments,  though  we  may  be  purified 
hy  them,  spiritually  refined  and  separated  from  our 
sins  in  the  fiery  furnace  of  suflPering. 

To  say  Christ  is  like  a  refiner  of  silver,  because  he 
saves  us  from  the  torments  of  hell,  or  bears  the 
wrath  of  God  in  our  stead,  is  to  make  a  comparison 
where  there  is  no  likeness,  no  resemblance  of  the 
things  compared.  But  there  is  a  resemblance  be- 
tween him  who  purifies  the  soul  from  sin,  and  one 
who  purifies  the  silver  from  dross.  And  in  this  sense 
Jesus  is  a  Refiner  and  Purifier,  separating  the  spirit- 
ual from  the  sensual,  bringing  out  the  heavenly  from 
its  mixture  with  the  earthly  dross,  and  preparing  it 
to  receive  anew  the  image  and  superscription  of 
God. 

The  thought,  or  truth,  of  this  figure,  is  found  in 
many  other  texts.  Peter,  speaking  of  the  Gentiles, 
says :  "  God  put  no  difference  between  us  and  them, 
purifying  their  hearts  by  faith."     Acts  xv.     Again, 


SALVATION— WHAT  IT  IS.  199 

he  says,  in  his  first  Epistle  :  "  Seeing  ye  \\^vq  puynfi* 
ed  your  souls  in  obeying  the  truth  through  the  Spir- 
it." i.  22.  Here  the  heart,  the  soul,  are  purified, 
which,  of  course,  is  an  inward  personal  salvation,  and 
not  redemption  from  threatened  judgments.  John 
says  :  "  He  that  liath  this  hope  in  him,  purifieth  him- 
self even  as  he  is  pure."  1  John  iii.  How  is  Christ 
pure  ?  In  any  sense  that  would  represent  him  as 
saved  from  punishment  ?  Of  course  not,  but  in  the 
sense  of  entire  freedom  from  sin,  "  a  lamb  without 
spot  or  blemish." 

2.  We  are  cleansed  and  washed.  The  passage  al- 
ready cited  from  Malachi,  declares  also  that  the 
Saviour  is  ''  like  fuller's  soap,"  i.  e.  that  his  truth  and 
grace  act  on  the  soul,  as  soap  acts  on  a  soiled  gar- 
ment ;  only  in  one  sense,  of  course,  that  of  cleansing, 
the  one  acting  by  spiritual,  and  the  other  by  chemi- 
cal laws.  The  idea  embodied  in  this  figure  pervades 
the  New  Testament.  After  namins;  certain  kinds  of 
evil  persons  who  cannot,  as  such,  or  while  in  that  condi- 
tion, enter  the  kingdom  of  God,  or  be  received  as  fol- 
lowers of  Christ,  the  apostle  says  :  "  And  such  were 
some  of  you  ;  but  ye  are  washed,  but  ye  are  sanctifi- 
ed, but  ye  are  justified,"  &c.  1  Cor.  9-11.  "  Unto 
him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his 
own  blood."  Eev.  i.  5.  "  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he 
is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to 
cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness."  1  John  i.  9. 
And  the  passage  already  quoted  from  the  same  chap- 
ter, "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  us  from  all 
Bin." 

The  metaphor  running  through  these  texts,  is  per- 
fectly descriptive  of  the  nature  and  process  of  salva" 


200  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIYEIISALISM. 

tion.  You  cannot  wash  a  person  from  the  penaxty  of 
the  hiw  ;  you  cannot  cleanse  him  from  punishment. 
There  is  no  fitness  to  the  comparison ;  the  figure  fails 
altogether.  But  it  is  full  of  meaning  and  beauty 
when  employed  to  describe  gospel  salvation,  which  is 
being  "  washed  from  our  sins,"  and  "  cleansed  from 
all  unrighteousness,"  through  the  grace  and  truth  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

3.  We  are  healed  as  of  a  disease*  This  figure  hag 
been  partially  considered  in  the  preceding  section ; 
but  we  call  attention  to  it  again,  that  the  principle  in- 
volved may  be  carefully  considered  in  its  negative 
and  positive  relations.  Christ  himself  authorizes  the 
language,  when  he  justifies  himself  for  keeping  com- 
pany "  wath  publicans  and  sinners,"  by  saying, 
"  They  that  be  wdiole  need  not  a  jyJiysieian^  but  they 
that  are  sick."  Matt.  ix.  12.  The  Psalmist  has  the 
same  metaphor  :  "  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and 
forccet  not  all  his  benefits :  who  forojiveth  all  thine  in- 
iquities  ;  who  healeth  all  thy  diseases."  ciii.  2,  3. 

According  to  the  parallelism  of  Hebrew  verse,  the 
forgiving  iniquities  and  healing  diseases  in  this  pas- 
saije,  are  the  same  thinsr.  The  foroiveness,  or  re- 
nioval  of  iniquity  or  sin  from  the  soul,  which  is  sal- 
vation, is  set  forth  by  the  figure  of  healing,  or  re- 
moving of  disease  from  the  body.  But  the  physician 
who  cures  the  sick  man,  does  not  do  it  by  taking  his 
sickness,  or  bearing  the  pain  of  it ;  but  by  driving 
out  the  disease.  So  Jesus  does  not  save  us  by  bear- 
ing for  us  the  punishment  of  sin  ;  but  by  driving  out 
the  sin  from  the  heart.  A  man  cannot  be  cured  or 
healed  of  endless  torment  —  there  is  no  point  or 
meaning  to  such   a  figure  —  but  he  ean  be  cured  of 


SALVATION — WHAT  IT  IS.  201 

Ills  moral  disease  ;  lie  can  be  healed  of  the  leprosy  of 
sin,  by  the  grace  of  Jesus,  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

4.  Christ  is  our  Teacher  ;  and  we  are  saved  hy  the 
Truth.  "  We  know  that  thou  art  a  teacher  come 
from  God."  John  iii.  "  AYe  know  that  thou  art 
true,  and  teachest  the  way  of  God  in  truth."  Matt. 
XX ii.  This  metaphor  also  illustrates  the  spiritual  and 
personal  nature  of  salvation,  and  shows  in  part  v/liat 
it  is  from  —  ignorance,  error,  and  unbelief  When  a 
man  becomes  my  teacher,  he  does  not  stand  as  my 
substitute  ;  he  does  not  take  upon  himself  and  suffer 
all  tlie  evils  of  my  ignorance ;  but  he  instructs  me, 
he  enlightens  me  by  iip.parting  knowledge,  or  helping 
me  to  obtain  it.  Salvation,  therefore,  if  this  metaphor 
has  any  propriety  or  significance  in  it,  bears  the  same 
relation  to  the  spirit  which  knowledge  bears  to  the 
intellect. 

And  this  element  of  salvation,  and  this  method  or 
process,  are  recognized  in  many  important  passages. 
"  I  exhort,  therefore,  that  first  of  all,  supplications, 
prayers,  intercessions,  and  giving  of  thanks,  be  made 
for  all  men,  ....  for  this  is  good  and  acceptable  in 
the  sight  of  God,  who  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved, 
and  to  come  unto  the  hnowledge  of  the  truths  1  Tim. 
ii.  Here  "  to  be  saved,"  and  "  to  come  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  truth,"  are  equivalent  terms,  meaning 
the  same  thing.  Hence  the  Saviour  says  :  "  This  is 
life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee  the  only  true 
God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent."  John 
xvii.  The  knowledge  of  God  and  his  Son  is  eter- 
nal life,  salvation,  deliverance  from  ignorance  and  un- 
belief, throu2;h  the  enlii^htenino:  influence  of  the  Gos- 
pel  an  1  the  Spirit  of  Truth. 


202  lllEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

5.  We  are  found,  as  the  lost,  "  The  Son  of  man 
is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." 
Luke  xix.  The  parable  of  the  lost  sheep,  in  chapter 
XV.,  is  familiar  to  all.  The  good  shepherd  seeks  it 
among  the  mountains  and  in  the  wilderness,  till  he 
finds  it ;  and  then,  laying  it  on  his  shoulder,  he 
brings  it  in  safety,  and  with  rejoicing,  to  the  fold. 

In  what  sense  can  the  punishment  of  sin  be  repre- 
sented under  the  figure  of  being  lost?  or  deliverance 
from  this  unJer  the  fio;ure  of  beino;  found?  It  is  an 
easy  and  appropriate  metaphor,  which  describes  him 
who  wanders  from  the  paths  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness, as  lost  in  the  wilderness  of  sin ;  and,  when  he 
is  restored  to  them  again,  as  found.  When  the  prod- 
igal returned  from  the  far  country  of  his  folly  and 
wickedness,  the  rejoicing  father  exclaimed,  "  My  son, 
that  was  lost,  is  found." 

But  note  again,  how  the  figure  tells  against  the 
popular  doctrine  of  salvation,  and  for  the  Scriptural 
doctrine.  The  shepherd  who  went  in  search  of  the 
lost  sheep,  did  not  suffer  the  pains  and  terrors  which 
were  the  consequence  of  being  lost.  The  poor  sheep 
endured  for  itself  all  the  evils  of  going  astray, 
through  all  the  long  days  and  nights  of  its  w^ander- 
ing.  Nobody  could  save  it  from  these.  It  had  al- 
ready suffered  them.  They  could  not  be  borne  by 
another.  They  could  not  be  separated  from  its  lost 
condition,  any  more  than  the  shadow  can  be  separat- 
ed from  the  substance,  or  the  pain  from  a  broken 
limb,  or  blindness  from  loss  of  sight. 

These  figures  and  metaphors  might  be  largely  in- 
creased, but  the  examples  given  are  sufficient  to  show 
how   the  great   truth  that  salvation   is  from  sin  and 


SALVATION — WHAT  IT  IS.  203 

wickedness,  from  blindness  of  mind,  and  unbelief,  and 
moral  corruption,  pervades  the  entire  body  of  the 
Scripture,  its  doctrines  and  precepts,  the  character  of 
its  thought,  and  the  structure  of  its  language.  I 
have  given  more  space  to  this  subject,  and  enforced 
the  point  at  the  risk  of  repetition,  because  I  regard 
it  as  the  pivot  on  which  the  whole  Christian  system 
turns. 

If  the  punishmetit  of  sin  inheres  in  the  very  sub- 
stance of  sin  itself,  then  no  one  can  suffer  it  for  us  ; 
and  the  sacrificial  scheme,  as  we  have  shown  under 
the  iiead  of  "  Atonement,"  foils  to  the  ground.  The 
thing  it  proposes  is  simply  impossible  ;  and  the  only 
way  for  us  to  escape  the  punishment,  is  to  abandon 
the  sin.  If  we  would  be  delivered  from  the  mur- 
derer's doom,  we  must  avoid  the  murderer's  crime. 
If  the  drunkard  would  escape  from  the  hell  in  which 
he  lives,  he  must  repent,  and  thoroughly  reform.  If 
any  would  be  saved  from  the  torments  of  envy,  jeal- 
ousy, hatred,  malice,  these  foul  spirits  must  be  ex- 
pelled from  the  heart.  If  we  would  not  confront  the 
terrors  and  tortures  of  a  guilty  conscience,  we  must 
keep  it  pure  and  without  offence.  If  we  would  be 
delivered  from  all  anxiety  and  doubts,  from  that 
"fear  which  hath  torment,"  we  must  believe  in 
Christ,  we  must  know  God,  and  trust  in  him  ;  and 
then  shall  we  enter  into  rest,  and  find  peace  passing 
knowledge.  This  is  the  practical  bearing  of  the 
subject ;  its  direct  influence  on  life  and  action.  And 
thus  the  true  doctrine  of  Salvation  links  itself  in 
natural  and  logical  sequence  with  the  true  doctrine 
of  Atonement. 

Then,  again,  if  salvation  is  from  sin,  it  is  not  from 


i04:  THEOLOGY    OF    UXTVERSALISM. 

endless  punishment  —  and  this  monstrous  accusation 
against  God,  is  proved  to  be  wickedly  false,  and  his 
character  stands  forth  in  all  the  attractions  of  a 
Father's  love,  of  infinite  and  everlasting  goodness. 
This  understood,  and  the  hardness  of  the  sinner's 
heart  is  subdued  ;  the  prodigal  no  longer  stays  away 
from  home,  through  fear  of  his  Father's  anger ;  or 
lest  he  will  reduce  him  to  the  condition  of  a  servant 
and  slave,  instead  of  receivino;  hn.m  as  a  son.  lie 
will  not  wait  until  it  comes  to  famine  and  starvation  ; 
but  penitent  for  the  past,  and  painfully  instructed  for 
the  future,  he  will,  long  ere  this,  arise  and  go  to  his 
Father.  And  thus,  again,  we  see  how  the  true 
Scriptural  teaching  of  Salvation  stands  related  to  the 
doctrine  of  Rewards  and  Punishments,  of  the  law 
and  its  penalty. 

There  is  no  religious  question  of  more  practical 
importance,  than  this  respecting  the  nature  of  salva- 
tion—  what  it  is  ;  what  it  docs  for  us;  how  we  are 
to  obtain  it;  where  we  are  to  enjoy  it.  And  if  it  can 
be  fully  apprehended  and  settled  in  the.  mind  of  the 
inquirer,  it  speedily  clears  the  ground  of  many  per- 
nicious and  dangerous  errors  ;  and  leads  not  only  to 
a  complete  re-adjustment  of  Christian  doctrines,  but 
also  to  a  complete  change  of  character,  of  the  motives 
to  obedience,  of  the  aims  and  purposes  of  life.  Elec- 
tion and  reprobation,  salvation  and  damnation,  heav- 
en and  hell,  rewards  and  punishments,  will  all  be 
shaped  into  harmony  with  this  central  truth. 

The  true  Scriptural,  Evangelical  doctrine,  then,  on 
this  momentous  subject,  is  this,  viz.  :  that  salvation 
is  moral  and  spiritual  ;  that  it  is  not  exemption  from 
the  just  retribution  of  wrong,  but  redemption  from 


SALVATIOX WHAT  IT  IS.  205 

tlie  wrong  itself;  not  from  one  ihinp;,  but  from  many 
tliino-s  —  from  error  and  false  doctrines,  from  iinbc- 
lief,  from  sin  and  all  nnrlgliteonsness,  from  hatred, 
and  malice,  and  envy,  from  the  bondage  of  passion 
and  hurtful  lusts,  from  the  outward  criminal  act,  and 
from  the  inward  criminal  desire  —  conversion  from 
these  to  faith  and  obedience,  to  holiness  of  life  and 
heart,  to  sincere  reverence  and  affection  toward  (iod 
and  the  Saviour,  to  charity  and  love  for  all  mankind ; 
in  a  word,  it  is  a  regenerate  and  sanctified  spirit, 
which  makes  the  whole  being  consecrate  to  God,  and 
the  whole  life  beautiful  as  that  of  the  angels.  And, 
when  it  comes  to  this  with  vis,  we  are,  to  that  extent, 
in  heaven,  whether  in  the  present  life  or  in  the  future, 
whether  in  this  world  or  in  any  other.  ^ 


But  it  may  be  said,  that  all  men  are  not  saved,  in 
this  life,  in  the  sense  of  salvation  here  set  forth  ;  that 
thousands  die  in  ignorance,  unbelief,  and  sin.  This 
is  true  ;  and  it  is  not  affirmed  by  our  argument,  that 
all  men,  or  any,  are  "perfectly  saved  in  this  world, 
Xo  one,  in  this  life,  attains  to  that  spiritual  freedom 
and  angelic  perfection,  represented  by  the  "  image  of 

1 1  think  also  tliat  one  impoi'tant  element  of  Christian  salvation  is,  as 
shown  undei"  the  head  of  Aloiumcnt^  deliverance  from  the  fear  of 
death.  The  doctrines  of  Jesus  respecting  the  character  of  God,  and  of 
the  future  life,  and  his  own  death  and  resurrection,  were  intended  to 
inspire  us  with  hope,  and  courage,  and  peace  in  the  hour  of  death. 
Hebrews  ii.  14,  distinctly  afiirms  this:  "  Forasmuch  as  the  children  avo 
l)artakers  of  flesh  and  blood,  he  also  himself  took  part  of  the  same;  that 
through  death  he  might  destroy  him  that  had  the  power  of  death,  that 
is,  the  devil;  and  deliver  those  who  through  fear  of  death  were  all  their 
life  time  subject  to  boudtige."  And  how  truly  this  salvation  is  accom- 
plished in  the  believer,  is  abundantly  shown  by  the  manner  in  which 
death  is  always  mentioned  in  the' New  Testament;  and  beautifully  illus- 
trated by  the  epitaphs  of  the  early  Christians  in  the  Catacombs  .^f 
Heme,  as  well  as  by  the  death  of  every  true  believer. 


20G  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVEESALISM. 

the  hcavcnlv,"  of  wlncli  Paul  speaks ;  or,  in  other 
words,  no  one  reaches  the  full  stature  of  the  heavenly 
state  while  in  the  body.  Therefore,  no  soul,  however 
advanced,  realizes  the  full  measure  of  salvation,  till 
through  the  resurrection  it  is  made  equal  unto  the 
ano-els  of  God. 

o 

And  this  is  Ancient  Universalism.  Origen  (A.  D. 
230,)  says  :  "  The  TForcZ,  which  is  the  Wisdom  of 
(jrod,  shall  bring  together  all  intelligent  creatures, 
and  convert  them  into  his  own  perfection,  through 
the  instrumentality  of  their  free  will  and  their  exer- 
tions. For  though,  among  the  disorders  of  the  body, 
there  are,  indeed,  some  which  the  medical  art  cannot 
heal,  yet  we  deny,  that  of  all  the  vices  of  the  soul, 
there  is  any  which  the  supreme  Word  cannot  cure  ; 
for  the  Word  is  more  powerful  than  all  the  diseases 
of  the  soul,  and  he  applies  his  remedies  to  each  one 
according  to  the  pleasure  of  God.  And  the  consum- 
mation of  all  things,  will  be  the  extinction  of  sin,  and 
the  reformation  of  every  soul,  so  that  all  shall  serve 
him  with  one  consent.  This  may  not,  indeed,  take 
place  with  mankind,  in  the  present  life,  but  be  ac- 
complished after  they  shall  have  been  liberated  from 
the  body.  1 

But  the  discussion  of  this  point  carries  us  over  in- 
to the  subject  of  the  next  chapter  ;  to  which  we  i:)ass 
now  for  the  completion  of  the  argument. 

^  Contra  Celsum,  Lib.  viii.  This  -work  is  Origcn's  celebrated  defence 
of  Christianity  against  the  attacks  of  the  lieathen  philosopher  whose 
name  it  bears — Celsus.  Clement  of  Alexandria,  speaking  of  the  unbe- 
lieving and  unconverted,  says:  "  Hosv  is  he  a  Saviour  and  Lord,  unless 
he  is  the  Lord  and  Saviour  of  all  ?  He  is  certainly  the  Saviour  of  those 
■who  have  believed;  a «(/  oj' those  ivho  have  not  believed  he  is  Lord ^ 
until  by  being  brought  to  confess  him,  they  shall  receive  the  blessing 
suited  and  adapted  to  them  !  ''—Stromata  Lib.  vii.  cap.  ii.  A.  D.  195, 


CHAPTER     YI. 

THE  DOCTRINE    OF  THE  RESURRECTION. 

I  do  not  propose,  in  this  cliapter,  to  discuss  tlie 
various  theories  respecting  the  time,  nature,  and  pro- 
cesses of  the  resurrection,  current  among  Christians  ; 
but  only  to  examine  the  Scripture  statements,  so  far 
as  they  relate  to  the  great  question  of  human  destiny 
—  though  I  shall  not  refuse  to  notice  such  points  re- 
specting the  philosophy  of  the  mind  and  affections,  as 
may  legitimately  come  into  the  examination.  But 
the  main  facts  to  be  established  by  the  Bible  testimo- 
ny, ^vill  not  be  affected  by  any  theory  relative  to  the 
time  of  the  resurrection ;  and  the  arguments  will 
have  equal  weight,  whether  it  is  progressive  or  in- 
stantaneous at  some  future  period  ;  whether  it  is  ex- 
perienced, in  its  commencement,  by  each  individual 
at  the  time  of  death,  or  by  all  at  the  end  of  the  world. 

SECTION      I. 

THE   RESURRECTION  —  A  MORAL   AND  SPIRITUAL,  AS  WELL    A  BODILY, 
CUANGE. 

The  passages  which  treat  of  the  resurrection  to  im- 
mortality, set  forth  two  important  facts  in  very  clear 
and  intelligible  language.    'And  these  are, 

§  I.  That  we  are  clothed  upon  with  an  ineorrufpti- 
hie  and  spiritual  body,  suitable  to  our  new  sphere  of 
existence. 


208  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM. 

The  apostle,  Paul,  establishes  this  fact  by  the  plain- 
est statements,  in  his  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians. 
The  question  is  proposed  thus  :  "  How  are  the  dead 
raised  up?  and  with  what  body  do  they  come?" 
The  fact  that  this  earthly  body  decomposes,  and  falls 
away,  after  death,  into  the  dust  out  of  which  it  was 
formed,  was  apparent  to  all.  It  is  plain  that  the 
spirit  abandons  it,  no  longer  inhabits  it,  no  longer 
uses  it.  What  body,  then,  does  it  have,  in  the  resur- 
rection ?  This  Paul  answers  very  directly,  by  saying 
it  is  not  this  body,  "  but  God  givetJi  it  a  hody  as  it 
hath  pleased  him."  ^q  gives  it  a  body  when  it  enters 
the  resurrection  world,  a  new  body,  as  he  gave  it  a 
body  when  it  entered  into  this  world.  The  earthly 
body  is  suited  to  the  earthly  state  ;  and  the  heavenly 
body  to  a  heavenly  state.  "  There  is  a  natural  body, 
and  there  is  a  spiritual  body,"  ...  "  as  is  the  earthy, 
such  are  they  also  that  are  earthy  ;  and  as  is  the 
heavenly,  such  are  they  also  that  are  heavenly  —  and 
?.s  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy,  we  shall 
r,lso  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly." 

The  apostle  proceeds  to  illustrate  this  point  from 
the  natural  world  :  "  That  which  thou  sowest  is  not 
quickened,  except  it  die  ;  and  that  which  thou  sowest, 
thou  lowest  not  that  boily  that  shall  be,  but  bare 
grain,  it  may  chance  of  wheat,  or  of  some  other 
grain."  The  body  dies,  and  only  the  germ  or  soul  of 
the  grain  lives,  and  that  is  clutled  upon  with  a  new 
body  ;  in  the  likeness  of  the  old,  to  be  sure,  but 
created  anew,  out  of  the  vital  forces  of  the  soil  and 
the  atmosphere,  out  of  the  invisible  elements  of  air, 
water,  light,  electricity.  So  the  earthly  body  dies, 
and  the  soul  is  clothed  upon  anew  ;  God  givctJi  it  a 
body  fitted  to  its  new  sphere  of  life  and  activity. 


BOCTRINE  OF    THE   RESURRECTION.  209 

In  the  second  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  Paul  intro- 
duces the  subject  again :  "  For  we  know  that  if  oiu' 
earthlv  house  of  this  tabernacle  were  dissolved,  we 
have  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made  with 
hands,  (not  the  same  house  which  was  dissolved,  not 
the  old  house  repaired  or  altered,  but  a  new  building 
of  God,)  eternal  in  the  heavens.  For  in  this  (earth- 
ly house,)  we  groan,  earnestly  desiring  to  be  clothed 
upon  with  our  house  which  is  from  heaven."  Plain- 
ly, this  house  from  heaven  is  a  different  thing  from 
the  earthly  one  already  dissolved  ;  and  the  distinction 
set  up  between  the  two,  is  so  sharp,  that  we  cannot 
w^ell  suppose  the  one  is  to  be  built  up  out  of  the 
other ;  or  that  any  part  of  the  material  of  the  earth- 
ly body,  or  house,  is  to  be  manufactured,  or  wrought 
up  into  the  heavenly  body,  or  the  "  house  from 
heaven." 

In  the  absence  of  all  facts  and  Scriptural  informa- 
tion, we  abstain  from  speculating  as  to  the  nature  of 
the  resurrection  body.  It  is  enough  for  us  to  know 
that  it  is  adapted  to  our  heavenly  estate,  to  our 
growth  in  knowledge  of  the  divine  character  and  at- 
tributes, as  displayed  in  the  numberless  worlds  scat- 
tered through  the  abysses  of  the  universe.  Thus  fitted 
to  the  Avants  and  uses  of  the  spirit,  it  is  of  little  con- 
sequence wdiat  its  peculiar  characteristics  may  be,  or 
wliether  it  is  created  in  part  of  the  old  structure  or 
not.  The  drift  of  the  language,  where  the  subject  is 
touched,  certainly  seems  to  intimate  that  the  "  spirit- 
ual body  "  is  wholly  a  new  body  ;  and  that  so  far  as 
the  word  resurrection  is  concerned,  it  implies  the  call- 
ing of  the  soul  out  of  the  earthly  body,  now  dead,  in- 
to this  heavenly   body,  being  thus   exalted,  or  born 


210  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIV  EKSALlS^f. 

ni^.iin,  into  !i  liigher  and  nobler  life.  Ai\d  lliis  loaclg 
to  (lie  otlKU'  important  fact  imlioated  by  the  New 
'J\\-(Mnient  toucliings  on  this  point,  wbicli  is, 

§  n.  'flat  the  JResiirrc.ctiofb  /n  a  moral  and 
^jilritiial  (hange  —  the,  anastasis,  vr  raising  yj)-,  of 
the  Sx^nl. 

'Llui  Avord  (iv&oTuuig  which  is  generally  translated 
I  y  tlio  b^nglish  word  "resurrection,"  does  not  neces- 
iiAvWy  imply,  that  those  to  wh(ini  i(  refers,  should  be 
ilo.iJ.  It  is  often  used  in  regard  fo  the  living,  and 
lur.iijs,  in  its  most  literal  definition,  a  rising  up,  or  a 
hang  rifled  \ip^  exaltation^  as  iw-pects  condition  or 
circumstances.  Dr.  Campbell  says:  "  It  denotes  sim- 
j>!y,  being  raised  from  inactivily  to  action,  or  from 
obscurity  fo  eminence,  or  a  return  to  such  a  state,  af- 
tci  au  interruption.  The  verb  anistemi  has  the  like 
];ititn«lo  (>f  signification  ;  and  both  words  are  used,  in 
this  exlenl,  by  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament,  as 
well  as  by  tbe  Seventy.  Agreeabl}",  therefore,  to 
Jic  oiigiiiLil  import,  rising  from  a  seat  is  properl}^ 
lermod  avai^tasis^  so  is  awahing  out  of  sleep,  ov  pro- 
wot';('n  frcun  an  inferior  condition.  The  word  is  used 
in  ti:i?  ]ast  i^^WiiQ^  in  Luke  ii,  34." 

^I'l:e  passage  referred  to,  reads  thus  :  "  Behold  this 
cliild  is  s\.  for  the  fall  and  rising  again  (^anastasis^') 
of  mnny  iii  Israel :"  meaning  that  his  humble  condi- 
tion \v'  uld  be  :i  stimibling  block  to  the  Jews,  who, 
for  lliis  reason,  Avouhl  reject  him  :  but  who  would, 
neverllicles;'.,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  by  faith  in  him, 
be  restored,  or  rnised  to  spiritual  life  again,  as  set 
(brtli  in  Kon^ans  xi. 

So  when  it  refers  to  the  future  life,  it  implies  a  rais- 
i;ig  ui),  an  exaltation,  of  the  whole  man  ;  not  only  in 


DOCTRINE   OF  THE   RESURRECTION".  211 

a  bodily  respect,  but  also  in  a  moral  and  spiritual  re- 
spect. The  resurrection  is  not  simply  being  lifted 
out  of  the  mortal  into  the  immortal,  out  of  the  earth- 
ly into  the  heavenly ;  but  out  of  the  imperfect  into  the 
perfect,  out  of  the  weakness,  and  frailty,  and  sinful- 
ness of  our  present  estate,  into  the  strength  and 
holiness,  and  spiritual  completeness  of  the  future 
state. 

"  It  is  sown  in  corruption ;  it  is  raised  in  incorrup- 
tion  :  it  is  sown  in  dishonor ;  it  is  raised  in  glory :  it 
is  sown  in  weakness  ;  it  is  raised  in  power :  it  is  sown 
a  natural  body ;  it  is  raised  a  spiritual  body."  Now, 
supposing  this  language  to  refer  to  the  body  solely, 
it  is  manifest  enough  that  it  is  universal  in  its  appli- 
cation, that  it  is  descriptive  of  the  resurrection  body 
which  all  are  to  inhabit.  The  apostle  is  not  speak- 
ing of  a  class,  but  of  "the  dead,"  in  its  general 
meaning  ;  not  of  the  righteous,  but  of  all  who  have 
borne  "  the  image  of  the  earthy,"  which  phrase  can- 
not be  made  to  mean  less  than  all  mankind. 

If,  then,  this  language  describes  the  resurrection 
body,  it  needs  nothing  more  to  show  that  the  resur- 
rection state,  is  one  of  universal  holiness  and  happi- 
ness ;  for  it  would  be  difficult  to  show  how  a  soul 
dwelling  in  an  incorruptible,  glorious,  spiritual  body, 
could  be  unholy  and  miserable.  No  soul,  in  such  a 
heavenly  habitation  as  is  here  portrayed  by  Paul, 
could  possibly  be  in  a  moral  condition,  or  in  a  state 
of  sufiering,  represented  by  the  word  "  hell." 

But  it  seems  obvious  that  the  language  quoted  has 
to  do  with  more  than  the  body,  that  it  takes  in  the 
anastasis^  or  up-rising,  into  a  higher  life  of  the  whole 
being.     It  is  the  question,  both  of  the  fact  and  char- 


212  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVEESALISM, 

acter  of  a  future  life.  This  is  evident,  from  the  en- 
tire argument  of  the  chapter.  It  was  not  simply  the 
difficulty  involved  in  the  question,  "  With  what  body 
do  they  come  ? "  but  whether  they  come  at  all ; 
whether,  when  the  body  perishes,  anything  remains. 
This  was  the  point  in  dispute  among  that  portion  oi 
the  half  pagan  converts  of  the  Corinthian  church, 
who  had  initiated  the  controversy.  And  it  is  to  this 
point  Paul  directs  his  reply,  covering  the  whole 
ground  of  doubt  and  inquiry,  embracing  three  distinct 
heads : 

1.  The  fact  of  a  resurrection,  or  a  future  life,  bas- 
ed on  the  resurrection  of  Christ  as  the  proof  of  its 
possibility,  and  the  pledge  of  its  actuality  and  cer- 
tainty in  regard  to  all  men, 

2.  The  nature  of  the  resurrection  body,  or  the  fact 
that,  though  the  earthly  body  dies,  that  is  not  a  diffi- 
culty in  the  way  of  the  first  position ;  since  God 
giveth  to  the  soul,  as  to  the  various  seeds,  a  new 
body,  as  it  pleaseth  him. 

3.  The  character  of  the  future  life,  or  the  anastasis 
or  exaltation  of  the  soul,  when  clothed  upon  by  thia 
new  body. 

These  particulars,  to  be  sure^  are  not  logically  dis- 
tributed and  argued,  independently  of  each  other; 
for,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  subject,  the  thought 
of  one  naturally  mingles  with,  and  flows  into,  that  of 
the  others ;  but  the  three  points  named,  constitute 
the  substance  of  Paul's  statement  of  the  ease,  as 
will  be  seen  bv  an  examination  of  the  lano;uai][e  em- 
ployed. 

1.  ''  But  if  there  be  no  resurrection  of  the  dead, 
then  is  Christ  not  risen  ^  and  if  Christ  be  not  risen, 


DOCTRINE    OF    THE    RESURRECTION.  213 

then  is   our  preaching  vain,  and  your    faith   is  also 

vain Then  they   also,  that  are  fallen   asleep  m 

Christ^  are  perished^  (i.  e.  are  annihilated,  do  not  live 
at  all.)  If  in  this  life  only  we  have  hope  In  Christ, 
we  are  of  all  men  most  miserable."  The  argument 
is  plain  —  If  Christ  has  not  risen,  there  Is  no  future 
existence,  the  dead  are  perished,  and  we  have  hope 
only  in  this  life  ;  and  of  all  men,  therefore,  we  are 
most  miserable,  because  we  endure  such  persecution 
and   suffcrino'  In  defence  of  the  resurrection  of  the 

o 

dead.  "  But  now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and 
become  the  first  fruits  of  them  that  slept."  Yerse  20, 
This  is  an  established  fact,  and,  therefore,  our  faith  is 
not  in  vain. 

But,  as  is  frequently  the  case  with  the  Bible 
writers,  Paul's  argument,  in  the  following  verses, 
20-28,  passes  over  from  the  logical  fact  to  the  moral 
accompaniments  of  the  fact,  and  takes  in  a  brief  view 
of  the  results  of  this  universal  anastasis,  or  resurrec- 
tion through  Jesus  Christ,  viz  :  the  destruction  of  all 
the  enemies  to  his  reign  and  man's  happiness,  even  to 
the  last,  which  is  death,  and  the  spiritual  subjection 
of  all  souls,  even  of  the  Son  himself,  to  the  Father, 
that  God  may  be  all  in  all ! 

2.  But  if  the  dead  live,  how  do  they  live  ?  Since 
this  body  dies,  and  turns  to  dust,  "  with  what  body 
do  they  come  ?  "  or  what  body  do  they  inhabit  in  the 
resurrection  life  ?  This  is  answered  directly  in  verses 
85-38,  by  showing  that  as  God  gives  a  new  body  to 
the  germ  or  soul  of  the  grain,  whose  old  body  per- 
ishes when  it  is  sown  ;  so  he  gives  a  new  heavenly 
body  to  the  spirit  or  soul  of  man,  when  the  old 
earthly  body  perishes  in  the  grave. 


Hi  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

And  here,  again,  as  in  the  first  point  revieweJ,  the 
argument  reaches  over  into  the  next  particular  ;  and 
he  naturally  mixes  up  with  the  statement,  that  the 
soul  will  be  clothed  upon  with  a  heavenly  and  glori- 
ous body,  the  necessary  conclusion  that  it  will  be  in 
a  heavenly  and  glorious  condition.  This  is  shown  in 
verses  42-57,  as  set  forth  in  the  next  paragraph. 

3.  "  It  is  sown  in  weakness  ;  it  is  raised  in  power  ;  it 
is  sown  ia  dishonor ;  it  is  raised  in  gloiy."  "The 
first  man  is  of  the  earth,  earthy  ;  the  second  man  is 
the  Lord  from  heaven.  As  is  the  earthy,  such  are 
they  also  that  are  earthy  ;  and  as  is  the  heavenly, 
such  are  they  also  that  are  heavenly." 

That  is,  as  Adam  represents  our  earthly  condition, 
80  Christ  represents  our  heavenly  condition ;  and  as 
in  this  life  we  are  in  the  likeness  of  the  first  man,  so 
in  the  future  life  we  shall  be  in  the  likeness  of  the 
second  man.  For  "  as  we  have  borne  the  image  of 
the  earthy,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  af  the  heav- 
enly ;  and  as  is  the  heavenly,  so  are  they  that  are 
heavenly."  "  The  dead,"  not  the  righteous  only,  but 
"  the  clead,^' — embracing  all  who  have  departed,  as 
strictly  as  the  expression  "the  living,"  embraces  all 
who  remain  —  "  shall  be  raised  incorruptible,  and  we 
shall  be  chano;ed." 

The  conti^st  is  between  the  dead  and  the  living  ; 
and  the  word  "  we  "  shows  that  he  is  speaking  of  the 
race,  of  mankind  in  their  continuous  relation  to  each 
other,  since  he,  and  those  lie  addressed,  arc  dead 
long  time  ago,  and  the  end  is  not  yet. 

The  apostle  declares  that,  at  the  final  consumma- 
tion ("  the  end  "  of  which  he  had  previously  spoken) 
i^omc  would  be  living ;  and  though  these  would  not 


DOCTRINE   OP   THE   RESURRECTTON.  215 

die,  yet  they  would  be  clianged  into  the  likeness  of 
the  heavenly  ;  or,  in  other  words,  would  be  clothed  up« 
OD  with  the  immortal  body,  and  the  heavenly  image, 
by  a  change  equivalent  to  that  through  which  the 
<]ead  pass ;  leaving  behind  them  the  earthly  taberna- 
cle, and  the  earthly  drift  of  character  which  fettered 
and  held  them  in  this  life.  And  so  the  sting  of 
death,  which  is  sin,  being  destroyed,  and  death  swal- 
lowed up  in  the  victory  of  life  immortal,  all  will  take 
up  the  joyous  cry,  "  O  death  !  where  is  thy  sting  ? 
O  grave  !  where  is  thy  victory  ?  Thanks  be  to  God, 
which  giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ !  " 

The  main  doctrine  of  Paul,  in  this  chapter,  is 
clearly  and  authoritatively  established  by  the  Saviour, 
in  his  controversy  with  the  Sadducees  ;  especially 
the  first  ancl  last  points,  which  are  chief  in  importance 
and  interest.     Matt,  xxii.,  Mark  xii.,  Luke  xx. 

The  Sadducees  denied  the  resurrection,  and  a  fu- 
ture existence,  and  brought  the  case  of  the  woman 
having  seven  husbands,  as  an  insuperable  objection 
to  the  doctrine ;  on  the  mistaken  supposition  that  a 
future  existence  necessarily  involved  a  continuation 
of  all  the  social  relations,  and  legal  obligations,  of  the 
present.  -Here,  then,  were  two  points  in  discussion, 
two  errors  to  be  met  and  refuted — 

1.  The  denial  of  a  future  life. 

2.  The  assumption  that  the  conditions  of  this  life 
would  obtain,  and  be  perpetuated,  in  the  next. 

These  were  exactly  the  first  and  third  questions  in- 
volved in  Paul's  argument,  and  so  distinctly  unfolded 
by  him  —  resting,  doubtless,  upon  the  foundation  of 
tlie  Saviour's  teaching  on  this  subject.     Let  us  then 


21G  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALIS3I. 

proceed  to  examine  the  method  of  Christ's  treatment 
of  these  errors,  and  the  doctrines  affirmed  by  him. 

1.  "As  touching  the  resurrection  of  the  dead, 
have  ye  not  read  that  which  was  spoken  unto  you 
by  God,  saying,  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the 
God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob  ?  God  is  not 
the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living  —  for  all  live 
unto  him." 

The  force  of  this  reply  rests  on  the  use  of  the  pre- 
f^ent  tense.  At  the  time  the  language  was  uttered, 
these  patriarchs  had  been  dead  from  two  to  three 
Jiundred  years,  and  more  ;  yet  God  says,  "  I  am  the 
God  of  Abraham,"  &c.  Now,  if  they  had  perished, 
utterly  ceased  to  exist,  there  was  no  propriety  or 
truth  in  this  language  ;  for  God  is  not  the  God  of 
the  dead,  but  of  the  living ;  not  the  God  of  nothing, 
but  of  something.  Since,  therefore,  he  says  "  I  am 
the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,"  these  patri- 
archs must  have  been  living  at  the  time  he  spake 
these  words,  which  was  two  hundred  years  after  their 
earthly  bodies  were  dead.  Th^re  is,  therefore,  a  fu- 
ture existence,  another  life  beyond  death. 

Dr.  Campbell  illustrates  the  point  very  happily  : 
"  If  wc  should  hear  one  man  say  to  another,  '  I  wish 
to  have  you  in  my  service,  and  to  be  your  master,  as 
I  am  your  father's  and  your  grandfather's  master  ; ' 
should  we  not  conclude  that  the  persons  spoken  of 
were  alive,  and  his  servants  at  this  very  moment  ? 
And  would  it  not  be  reasonable  to  insist,  that  if  they 
were  not  living,  his  expression  would  be  '  as  I  was 
your  father's  and  grandfather's  master  ?  '  " 

Thus  did  our  Lord  dispose  of  the  first  j^oint,  and 
as  I  lie  Sadducccs  made  no  reply,  wc  may  conclude 
they  had  noiie  to  make. 


BOCITRIXE    OF    THE    KESTJRKECTrON.  21T 

2.  The  next  point  was,  that  the  woman  had  beea 
fdie  wife  of  seven  husbands,  "  Therefore,  in  the  re- 
surrection, whose  wife  shall  she  be  of  the  seven  ?  for 
they  all  had  her." 

As  remarked,  the  mistake  of  the  Sadducees  con- 
sisted in  transferring  to  the  fliture  existence,  the  rela- 
tions and  conditions  of  the  present  existence.  This 
error  the  Saviour  confutes,  by  a  distinct  annuncia- 
tion, that  the  future  life  is  not  like  this  in  its  condi- 
tions and  circumstances  ;  that  we  are  not  there  as  we 
are  here  ;  but  changed  into  the  heavenly  likeness, 
and  fitted  to  the  character  and  mode  of  our  new  spir- 
itual existence, 

"  Jesus  answered,  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  do  err^ 
not  knowing  the  Scriptures,  nor  the  power  of  God, 
For  in  the  resurrection  they  neither  marry,  nor  are 
given  in  marriage,  but  are  as  the  angels  of  God  in 
heaven  —  neither  can  they  die  any  more  ;  for  they 
are  equals  unto  the  angels,  and  are  children  of  God, 
being  children  of  the  resurrection," 

Observe,  there  ai-e  two  specifications  made  by  our 
Lord  ;  1.  Their  ignorance  of  the  Scriptures.  2.  Their 
Vgnorance  of  the  power  of  God. 

The  first  refers  to  their  ignorance  of  the  Mosaic 
record,  where  God  says  '^  I  am  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham," <S:c.,  and  which  he  quoted  in  refutation  of 
their  denial  of  a  future  life.  This  has  already  been 
explained  above. 

The  seoond  lefers  to  their  ignorance  of  the  power 
of  God  so  to  chiiage  and  adapt  mankind  to  the  heav- 
enly existence,  as  to  avoid  the  difficulties  they  had 
started  regarding  the  woman  with  seven  husbands. 

The  Sadducees  fell  into  the  common  error,  common 


218  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVERSAL IS3I. 

even  In  our  own  time,  that  there  is  no  chaiue  after 
death,  that  we  carry  with  us  into  the  future  world, 
the  feelings,  preferences  and  characteristics  of  this 
world ;  that  what  we  desire  here,  we  shall  desire 
there  ;  and  what  we  do  here,  we  shall  continue  to  do 
there. 

All  this  the  Saviour  positively  and  plainly  denies, 
and  shows  that  such  reasoning  is  false,  that  the  law 
of  analogy  does  not  hold  to  this  extent ;  because  this 
life  is  earthly  and  that  will  be  heavenly  ;  this  life  is 
in  a  material  body,  and  that  will  be  in  a  spiritual 
body.  The  difference  in  character  and  condition,  in 
desires  and  pursuits,  in  the  elements  Avhlcli  go  to 
make  up  our  happiness,  will  be  equally  great.  In  this 
world  we  are  mortal  —  in  that,  we  shall  die  no  more. 
In  this  world  we  are  men,  subject  to  all  the  frailties 
and  infirmities  of  human  nature  —  in  that  world  w-e 
shall  be  as  the  angels,  children  of  God  because  we 
are  children  of  the  resurrection.  In  this  world,  we 
are  under  the  influence  of  the  desires,  the  passions, 
the  love  of  self,  which  characterize  the  flesh  —  in  that 
we  shall  be  freed  from  these,  and  acknowledge  the 
love,  the  law  and  dominion  of  the  spirit ;  the  conflict 
between  the  flesh  and  the  spirit  being  forever  at  an 
end. 

The  expression  *'  children  of  God,  being  children 
of  the  resurrection,"  has  immense  weight  in  it.  It  is 
a  direct  assertion  of  the  fact  that  the  chanj^e  wrouj^^ht 
by  the  resurrection  is  moral  and  spiritual,  and  trans- 
forms the  subject  of  it  into  the  Divine  likeness.  The 
phrase  "son  of"  or  "children  of,"  is  a  Hebrew  form 
of  speech,  signifying,  among  other  things,  "  in  the 
likeness    of,"  "similar   to,"   "resembling."     As   ob- 


DOCTRIXE    OF    THE    EESURRECTIOX  219 

served  in  a  previous  note,  we  have  equivalent  forms, 
as  a  ''  son  of  temperance,"  to  designate  a  temper- 
ance man  ;  a  "  daughter  of  charity,"  for  a  kind  and 
benevolent  woman  ;  "  sisters  of  mercv,"  &c.  '*  Chil- 
dren of  light,"  in  the  New  Testament,  are  those  en- 
lightened by  the  truth  ;  "  children  of  the  evil  one," 
are  wicked  persons,  or  those  resembling  the  evil  one ; 
"  children  of  God,"  are  godly  persons,  or  those  in  the 
likeness  of  God. 

Now  the  Saviour  says  that  the  resurrection  works 
such  an  entire  change  in  man,  so  purifies  and  exalts 
his  soul,  lift  3  him  so  entirely  out  of  the  earthly  into 
the  heavenly,  that  he  becomes,  hy  this  very  anastasis 
or  transformation,  a  child  of  God.  Of  course  this  es- 
tablishes the  fact  that  the  resurrection  has  to  do  with 
more  than  the  body.  It  is  growth  to  the  soul,  en- 
lightenment, instruction,  education ;  and,  through 
these,  the  lifting  it  up,  leading  it  up,  helping  it  to  rise 
up,  into  that  spiritual  perfection,  that  "  image  of  the 
heavenly,"  reaching  which  it  becomes  the  child  of 
God  in  the  highest  and  divinest  meaning  of  the  term. 
We  are  children  of  God  in  this  sense,  being,  or  he- 
cause  we  are  children  of  the  resurrection ;  or  in 
words  of  the  same  import,  to  be  in  the  likeness  of  the 
resurrection  is  to  be  in  the  likeness  of  God. 

All  the  other  phraseology  is  to  the  same  point. 
The  Saviour  is  explicit  and  direct  beyond  mistake, 
and  beyond  controversy.  The  children  of  the  res  ir- 
rection  are  "  eqi;al  unto  the  angels,"  they  "  are  as 
the  angels  which  are  in  heaven,"  or  "  as  the  angels 
of  God  in  heaven."  Now,  these  varied  forms  of  ex- 
pression, are  only  so  many  ways  of  saying  that,  when 
the  resurrection   has  completed  its   work  on  man,  he 


22(>  THEOLOGT    OF    UXIVEESALISM. 

becomes  angelic.  Can  anything  be  more  concIusiT^ 
in  evidence  of  the  fact,  that  the  chanire  is  a  moral 
and  spiritual  one  ?  that  it  is  a  result  brought  about  by- 
moral  and  spiritual  agencies,  through  which  the  soul 
is  corrected,  informed  and  raised  up  to  heaven,  and 
*'  changed  into  the  same  image,  from  glory  to  glory 5, 
even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord."    2  Cor,  iii.  18J 

SECTION     II. 

"  EVEEV    MAN    IN    BTS    OWN     OKDER.'^ 

The  language  of  Paul,  in  1  Cor,  xv.  22,  is  ofteia 
quoted  as  proof,  that  the  resurrection  state  is  not  a 
state  of  holiness  and  happiness  for  all.  "  But  every 
man  in  his  own  order  ;  Christ  the  first  fruits,  after- 
ward they  that  are  Christ's  at  his  coming."  This  is 
supposed  to  imply,  or  teach,  that  there  are  two  orders 
in  the  resurrection  beside  Christ,  the  righteous  and 
the  wicked  ;  and  that  the  righteous  are  raised  first^, 
and  afterwards  the  wicked. 

"■See  the  subject  continncd  iu  the  ncs.t  section,  f  have  Biade  no  men- 
tion of  the  woi'ds  recorded  by  Lukc^  '^accounted  worthy  to  obtain  thai 
loorldy  and  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,"'  for  two  reasons  :  1.  Because- 
the  resui-rection  of  a/^  the  dead  is  the  acknowledged  doctriae  of  the- 
New  Testament.  2.  Becaitse  the  Evangelists  cuuld  net  have  attached 
any  great  doctrinal  importance  to  the  expression,  inasmuchas  two,  out 
of  three  recording  the  conversation ,.  omit  it.  If  it  was  intended  as  a. 
declaration  of  partial  resurrection^ or  of  annihilation,  or  of  a  dijGferenco 
in  the  destiny  of  those  raised ^  they  v,-ouLl  neither  have  forgotten  it,  nor 
have  neglected  to  report  it.  Wliat  was  the  precise  thought  tlic  Saviour 
may  liave  intended  to  convey  by  the  words,,  it  is  not  easy  to  determine,. 
PerhaiJS  this  is  the  idea, — Those  Avhom  C^o^l  judges  wortliy  of  a  i-esur- 
rection,  i.  e.  y  worth  being  raised  from  the  dead;  those  having  a  mental 
and  moral  nature  which  gives  them  a  title  to  a  future  existence — in  a 
word,  his  intel/igent  creatures,  made  in  his  own  image;,  in. distiuxition 
£!;oia  the  lower  orders  of  crcajtiou^ 


**  EVERY   MAK    IN    HIS   OWN   OEDER."  221 

But  this  idea  conflicts  with  the  common  doctrine, 
that  the  resurrection  of  all  the  dead  is  simultaneous, 
*'  in  a  moment,  at  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last 
trump."  If  the  dead  are  all  raised  in  the  end  of  the 
world,  at  the  same  moment,  then  there  is  no  prece- 
dence of  the  righteous  over  the  wicked,  in  point  of 
time. 

And  the  position  is  equally  in  conflict  with  the  doc- 
trine of  a  progressive  resurrection  ;  for  if  the  resur- 
rection is  immediately  -subsequent  to  death,  then  a 
wicked  man  dying  before  a  righteous  man,  is  raised 
be.orc  him.  And  so,  on  neither  hypothesis  is  the 
difierence  of  character  distinguished  by  a  diflPerence 
of  time  in  the  resurrection. 

But  ill  a  matter  of  so  much  importance,  it  is  not 
safe  to  trust  to  implications  ;  it  is  not  reasonable  to 
suppose  the  Holy  Spirit  would  leave  the  truth  to  be 
inferred,  instead  of  stating  it  in  plain  speech.  If,  in 
the  resurrection,  there  are  three  orders,  Firsts  Christ ; 
Second,  The  Eighteous:  and  Third,  The  Wicked; 
why  did  not  Paul,  if  he  was  guided  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  say  so  ?  That  would  have  put  the  subject  at 
rest  forever.  It  would  have  ended  all  debate  and 
doubt,  on  the  most  momentous  question  in  the  whole 
ranse  of  divine  revelation.  If  Paul  had  said,  "  But 
every  man  in  his  own  order  ;  Christ  the  first  fruits ; 
afterwards,  they  that  are  Christ's  at  his  coming ; 
and  after  these  the  wicked  f  then  the  subject  would 
have  been  put  beyond  all  controversy.  And  if  it 
really  be  so,  can  we  doubt,  for  a  moment,  that  he 
would  have  stated  it  in  this  form,  or  in  terms  equally- 
positive  and  definite  ? 

But  he  has  done  nothino;  of  the  kind.     He  has  not 


Wl  TriEOLOGY  OF  tlNlTERSALlSSi, 

intimated,  much  less  asserted,  that  there  are  any 
wicked  in  the  resurrection.  He  gives  tis  only  two 
orders  ;  Christ  the  first  frtiits  ;  afterwards,  they  that 
are  Christ's  at  Lis  coming.  If  there  be  any  otherScf 
he  does  not  mention  them  ;  and  there  is  no  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  the  matter,  save  what  he  furnishes/ 

The  order  of  time  is  marked,  however,  by  three 
distinct  events,  and  noting  these,  will  confirm  what 
has  already  been  said.  1.  The  restirrection  of  Christ,. 
as  the  first  frtiits.  2.  The  resiirreetion  of  those  who 
are  Christ's  at  his  coming.  3,  "^Then  eometh  the 
end." 

INow,  observe,  that  the  "  end  "  comes  immediately 
after  the  raising  of  those  called  Christ's.  No  trans- 
action, of  any  kind,  intervenes  between  the  second 
and  third  event  of  the  series.  They  are  represented 
as  immediately  consecutive,  following  in  regular  or- 
der, according  to  the  original  plan.  And  yet  the 
common  doctrine  separates  these^two  links  in  the 
chain  of  events,  which  the  argument  of  Paul  ha& 
bound  together,  and  inserts  another  totally  foreign y 
and  in  direct  opposition,  to  the  very  purpose  of 
that  argument,  viz.,  the  resurrection  of  the  wicked  I 
As  if  it  were  possible  for  Paul  to  forget,  or  omit,  a 
fact  of  such  tremendous  importance ;  and  which,  if 
true,  would  have  compelled  an  entire  re-construction; 
of  the  argument  in  this  part  of  his  Epistle  ! 

Taul's  expression,  "there  shall  be  a  resurrection  both  of  the  just 
and  the  unjust,''''  is  simply  expressive  of  universality,  and  not  of  moral 
character  or  condition  in  the  resurrectioUy  as  lie  says  elsewhere,  "  Jew 
and  Gentile,"  "^  bond  and  free."  We  have  similar  p'nrases,  as  '•  high 
and  low,"  "  rich  and  poor,"  "good  and  bad,"  "wise  and  ignorant," 
meaning  thereby  "  all  men."  They  arc  used  not  to  describe  character 
but  to  express  universality,  com].ilctcncsSy 


"EVERY   MAN   IN   HIS   OWN   ORHER.'^  223 

But  the  fact  of  there  being  only  two  orders  in  the 
resurrection,  is  farther  confirmed  by  the  figure  which 
the  apostle  employs  — »  "  Christ  the  first  fruits,'^  The 
first  fruits  were  gathered,  at  tlie  beginning  of  the 
harvest,  and  offered  in  solemn  form  to  God,  ^vith 
great  rejoicings,  as  an  acknowledgment  of  his  good- 
ness, and  of  the  bounty  of  his  providence  in  the 
fruits  of  the  earth.  Afterwards  came  the  general 
harvest,  of  which  the  first  fruits  were  alike  a  sam-^ 
pie  and  a  pledge.  Of  course,  if  the  figure  of  the 
apostle  is  well  chosen,  and  to  the  point,  there  are  but 
two  orders  in  the  resurrection  ;  Christ  the  first  fruits^ 
and  then  the  universal  harvest  of  the  dead. 

This  fact  of  the  first  fruits  being  a  pattern  or  sam- 
ple of  the  harvest,  is  important,  and  still  further  con- 
firms the  argument  that  there  are  only  two  orders* 
In  verse  20,  we  have  the  followins: :  "  But  now  is 
Christ  risen  from  the  dead^  and  become  the  first 
fruits  of  them  that  slept,"  or  the  dead  of  every 
condition  and  character  — not  of  any  particular  class; 
for  all  die  alike,  and  •'  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in 
Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive." 

Now,  if  we  turn  to  Rom.  xi.  IG,  we  have  the  ar- 
gument complete  :  "  If  the  first  fruits  be  holy,  the 
lump  is  also  holy  ;  and  if  the  root  be  holy^  so  are  the 
branches."  Here  the  same  figure  is  used  with  refer- 
ence to  the  final  ingathering  of  the  Jews,  but  the 
fact  asserted  is  what  demands  attention,  viz.,  that  the 
first  fruits  are  a  specimen,  a  sample  of  the  quality 
and  character  of  the  whole  han^est— -  "  if  the  first 
fruits  be  holy,  the  lump  ("  the  entire  mass,  the  whole 
harvest,)  is  holy."  And  he  repeats  the  thought  un- 
der  an   additional   figure ;  "  If  the   root  be   holy,  s(j> 


221  THEOLOGY  OF  UNIVERSALIS:.!. 

are  the  brandies  ;  i.  c,  the  brMiiches  derive  their 
character  from  the  root  out  of  which  they  grow  ;  and 
if  the  root,  therefore,  be  good,  then  necessarily  the 
branches  must  be  good  also." 

The  argument  of  these  figures,  in  their  application 
to  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  is  direct  and  unan- 
swerable. Christ  is  the  first  fruits  of  the  resurrec- 
tion harvest,  and  is  holy  ;  therefore,  we  know  what 
will  be  the  quality  and  character  of  the  universal 
harvest.  He  is  the  root,  for  in  him  is  all  our  hope  of 
a  future  life.  We  are  raised  from  the  mortal  into 
the  immortal,  from  the  earthly  into  the  heavenly, 
through  him ;  as  the  branches  arc  developed,  through 
the  life  of  the  trunk  or  root,  into  beauty,  and  bloom, 
and  fruitage.  As  the  branches  are  after  the  nature 
and  pattern  of  the  trunk,  so  are  we,  in  the  resurrec- 
tion life,  after  the  nature  and  pattern  of  Christ.  As 
we  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy  here,  so  shall 
we  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly  there  ;  for  all 
shall  be  made  alive  in  Christ.  We  may  not  know 
now  what  that  imasce  is,  but  it  is  enouo;h  to  know 
that  it  is  in  the  likeness  of  Christ.  As  John  says : 
*■'  It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be  ;  but  we 
know  that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like 
him,  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is."     1  John  iii.  2. 

vSo  the  argument  stands  thus  in  proof  of  only  two 
orders  or  classes  in  the  resurrection : 

Christ  is  the  first  fruits  of  all  the  dead — if  the 
first  fruits  be  holy,  the  lump,  or  the  whole  harvest, 
is  holy  —  therefore,  all  the  dead  in  the  resurrection 
will  be  holy. 

If  Clirist  be  not  the  first  fruits  of  all  the  dead,  then 
there  is  no  proof  that  those,  of  whom  he  is  u(»t  the 


"EVERY  MAN  IN    HIS  OWN  ORDER."  225 

first  fruits,  will  be  raised  at  all,  and  if  not  raised,  then 
they  are  perished ;  and  annihilation,  and  not  endless 
torment,  is  the  result. 

These  are  the  only  logical  conclusions  which  can 
he  based  on  the  language  of  the  apostle.  lie  is  en- 
tirely silent  in  regard  to  the  wicked  in  the  resurrec- 
tion ;  and  either  there  are  no  wicked  when  "  the 
end  "  comes,  or  they  are  not  raised.^  He  speaks  of 
those  who  are  Christ's,  but  makes  not  the  least  allu- 
sion to  those  who  are  not  his  ;  and  the  leo^itlmate  in- 
ference  is,  that  there  are  none  of  this  sort,  but  that 
all  are  Christ's,  and  Christ  is  God's  ;  and  he,  as  the 
Father,  is  all  in  all.  This  is  the  Christian  doctrine, 
and,  as  Home  truly  says  :  "  How  beautiful  and  strik- 
ing is  Paul's  use  of  this  figure  of  the  first  fruits,  in  this 
most  consolatory  and  closely  reasoned  chapter,  in 
which  he  argues  and  establishes  the  certainty  of  the 
general  resurrection,  from  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  represents  Christ  as  the  first  fruits  of  a 
glorious  and  universal  harvest  of  all  the  sleeping 
cleadr ' 

Yes ;  and  the  very  point  of  the  argument,  and  the 
very  truth  which  gives  it  its  consolatory  character, 
is  the  fact,  that  in  the  resurrection,  when  the  end 
comes,  the  wicked  will  cease  to  be   wicked,   and  all 

T  Dr.  Bloomfield  remarks,  Tvith  great  naivete,  "The  apostle  says 
nothing  about  those  who  are  not  Christ's,  the  ivicked.''  Exactly:  and 
that  is  good  reason  why  we  should  say  nothing  about  them.  It  is  not 
well  for  us  to  be  wise  above  what  is  written  in  this  matter.  If  the  apos- 
tle had  believed  that  in  the  resurrection  some  would  not  be  Christ's, 
he  could  not  have  forgotten,  he  would  not  have  refused  to  say  so;  and 
as  he  did  not,  the  proof  is  conclusive  against  such  a  supposition.  For 
the  "  resurrection  to  damnation,"  and  awaking  to  " -everlasting  shamo 
and  contempt,"  see  chapter  x. 

'  Introduction,  vol.  iii.  288. 


226  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALIS^. 

souls  purified,  redeemed,  and  exalted  in  Christ,  will 
rejoice  for  ever  more,  in  the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
children  of  God.  And  in  confirmation  of  this  view, 
we  shall,  in  the  next  section,  consider  the  circum- 
stances under  which  "the  end"  here  mentioned,  is  to 
come,  and  the  time  of  its  coming. 

SECTION     III. 

"then  COMETH  THE  ENE  " CHRIST's  SAYING  POWER  CONTINUES 

BEYOND    DEATH,    TO    THE    END. 

"  Then  cometh  the  end,"  says  Paul.  1  Cor.  xv.  24. 
"When  cometh  the  end  ?  and  the  end  of  what  ? 
"  Then "  implies  a  specified  time,  and  the  apostle 
points  it  out,  with  great  precision,  in  the  very  next 
words.  "  Then  cometh  the  end,  when  he  shall  liaYe 
delivered  up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father  ; 
lohen  he  shall  have  put  down  all  rule,  and  all  authori- 
ty, and  power.  For  he  musl  reign  till  he  hath  put 
all  enemies  under  his  feet.  The  last  enemy  that  shall 
bo  destroyed  is  death."  And  in  the  words  imnwdi- 
ately  preceding,  he  connects  the  end  directly  with  the 
resurrection,  thus  :  "  As  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in 
Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive.  But  every  man  in  his 
own  order  ;  Christ  the  first  fruits,  afterwards  they 
that  are  Christ's  at  his  coming.  Then  cometh  the 
end." 

The  end  spoken  of,  is  the  end  of  Christ's  media- 
torial reign,  of  his  separate  kingdom  as  a  Saviour  ; 
which,  at  the  time  named,  he  delivers  up  to  God  the 
Father.  And  this  is  not  done  till  all  things  are  sub- 
jected to  his  spiritual  rule,  all  opposing  powers  and 
authorities  ;  not  till  death,  the  last  enemy,  is  destroy 


ed,  swallowed  up  iu  the  victory  of  life  immortal  (and 
the  last  enemy  implies  that  all  other  enemies  are  de- 
stroyed before  it,  as  sin,  ignorance,  error  ;)  not  till 
all  are  made  alive  in  Christ ;  or,  in  other  words,  not 
till  the  work  of  the  resurrection  is  completed,  and  all 
are  raised  up  into  the  image  of  the  heavenly,  and  be- 
come children  of  God,  by  virtue  of  this  resurrection 
change. 

Then  cometh  the  end  of  Christ's  work  as  a  Saviour, 
and  not  till  then ;  then  cometh  the  end  of  his  kino- 
dom,  and  he  surrenders  all  things  back  into  the  hands 
of  the  Father,  and  God,  henceforth,  is  all  in  all. 
The  point  to  be  specially  noted  and  emphasized  is, 
that  the  end  of  Christ's  saving  action  and  rule,  his 
relation  to  the  soul  as  Teacher  and  Redeemer,  does 
not  cease  at  death,  but  continues  till  after  the  resur- 
rection is  completed  ;  till  the  last  enemy,  till  all  evil 
is  destroyed. 

This  once  understood,  the  answer  to  the  question, 
so  often  asked,  is  very  plain  :  ''  If  Jesus  came  to 
bave  all  men  from  sin,  and  thousands  die  in  sin,  thou- 
Fands  die  without  ever  having  heard  of  him,  as  the 
Iieathen;  how  can  he  be  properly  called  the  Saviour 
(.fall?" 

The  mistake  of  those  who  ask  this  question,  is  in 
liiiilting  or  restricting  the  power  of  Christ,  as  a  Sa- 
viour, to  this  world — in  supposing  that,  at  the  death 
of  each  individual,  his  redeeming  power  over  the  soul 
ceases.  There  is  nothing  in  the  Xew  Testament  to 
justify  this  error,  and  tlic  lano'uage  of  Paul,  just  quot- 
ed, is  a  direct  confutation  of  it.  The  power  of  God 
over  all  souls,  is  inflnit:^  and  endless,  and  no  event  can 
])]ace  them  beyond   his  control.     The   power   which 


228  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

Le  has  delegated  to  the  Saviour,  remains  with  him 
till  the  work  he  gave  him  to  do  is  finished  ;  and,  cer- 
tainly, it  is  not  finished  in  this  life  in  the  case  of  mil- 
lions of  souls  dying  in  unbelief,  and  ignorance,  and 
sin.  Consequently,  this  power  to  save,  continues  be- 
yond death  ;  continues,  as  Paul  says,  till  "  the  end  " 
Cometh,  and  this  end,  as  shown,  comes  after  the  res- 
urrection and  the  destruction  of  all  evil. 

The  Resurrection  itself,  is  a  part  of  the  Saviour's 
work,  a  most  important  part.  Whatever  the  charac- 
ter of  the  change  it  works  out  for  man,  it  is  always 
ascribed  to  Christ  as  the  agent  of  God.  Hence  we 
are  said  to  be  raised  "  through  Christ,"  to  be  "made 
alive  in  Christ,"  to  have  the  victory  over  death 
"  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  &c.  This  victory 
God  giveth  us.  It  is  of  his  power,  as  every  thing- 
else  is  ;  the  life  that  now  is,  the  life  to  come,  the  soul 
itself,  salvation,  all  we  have,  and  all  we  hope  for. 
But  he  chooses  to  bestow  his  spiritual  gifts  through 
Christ.  He  makes  him  the  medium  of  communica- 
tion with  us.  He  delegates  his  power  to  him  as  the 
Saviour  of  men,  as  Jesus  himself  repeatedly  testi- 
fies ;  and  one  special  manifestation  of  this  power  is 
seen  in  the  raising  of  the  dead.  "  The  Father  loveth 
the  Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into  his  hand ; " 
"  And  this  is  the  Father's  will  which  hath  sent  me, 
that  of  all  he  hath  given  me  I  should  lose  nothing, 
but  should  raise  it  up  again  at  the  last  day."  John 
iii.  35  ;  vi.  39. 

So  then  the  saving  power  of  Jesus  over  the  soul, 
is  not  limited  to  this  worltl,  nor  is  it  surrendered  at 
the  death  of  the  body.  It  has  no  limit  but  the  res- 
urrection in  its  completeness,  and  to  this  grand  con- 


•'THEN  COMETH  THE  END."  229 

summation  it  extends  in  all  its  fulness  ;  nay,  the  re- 
surrection is  one  of  the  most  glorious  exhibitions  of 
this  power ;  for  then  the  sting  of  death  is  removed, 
the  victory  is  plucked  from  the  grave  (for  death  itself 
is  dead)  ;  ''*  and  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither 
sorrow,  nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more 
pain,  for  the  former  things  are  passed  away."  Eev. 
xxi. 

If  it  be  asked,  "  How  is  Chiist  to  save  men  after 
death  ?  "  the  answer  is,  By  the  same  means,  and  in 
the  same  way,  as  before  death,  doubtless  ;  only  in- 
creased in  power  and  directness,  and  operating  with- 
out the  obstructions  incident  to  the  flesh  or  earthly 
nature. 

The  simple  truth  is,  all  men  arc  saved,  in  a  greater 
or  less  degree,  after  death.  The  spiritual  change  of 
the  resurrection,  is  necessary  to  the  completeness  and 
happiness  of  every  soul.  Are  any  perfect  here  ? 
Do  not  even  the  best  of  men  fail  in  many  things  ? 
Have  we  not  all  "  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God  ?  " 
Doc-s  not  the  sainted  Jchn  declare,  that  "  if  we  say 
we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves,  and  the  truth 
is  not  in  us  ?  "  Does  not  Paul  confess,  in  burning 
words,  to  the  war  between  the  flesh  and  the  spirit  ? 
Is  any  one  on  earth,  equal  to  the  angels  of  God  in 
heaven  ?  The  answers  to  these  questions  are  patent 
to  all,  and  reveal  the  truth  and  necessity  of  a  change 
after  death. 

VYe  are  not  perfect,  not  as  the  angels,  when  we 
die,  not  even  the  greatest  saint  on  earth  ;  but  we 
a^hall  be  in  the  resurrection.  How  can  this  be,  if 
there  be  no  change  after  death  ?  if  Christ  do  not  still 
aid  and  bless  us  as  a  Saviour  ?     And  will  Paul  main- 


230  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

tain  his  painful  struggle  against  evil,  and  John  con 
fess  to  sin,  in  the  resurrection  life  ?  If  not,  then  they 
will  be  so  far  changed  after  death. ' 

And  this  position  is  logically  involved  in  all  the 
creeds  of  the  day.  For  example,  the  xxxix  Articles 
of  the  Episcopal  Church,  speaking  of  original  sin, 
say,  "  This  infection  of  nature  doth  remain,  ^/ea,  in 
them  that  are  regenerated.^^  If  then,  the  regenerate 
are  infected  with  sin  in  this  world,  one  of  two  things 
is  certain  ;  either  they  continue  infected  with  it  after 
death,  or  they  are  saved  from  it  after  death. 

The  Presbyterian  Confession  of  Faith  says : 
"  Sanctification  is  throughout  in  the  whole  man,  yet 
imperfect  in  this  life  ;  there  abideth  still  some  rem- 
nants of  corruption  in  every  part  whence  ariseth  a 
continual  and  irreconcileable  war,  the  flesh  lustmg 
against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh. 
The  imperfection  of  sanctification  in  believers  ariseth 
from  the  remnants  of  sin  abiding  in  every  part  of 
them,  and  the  perpetual  lustings  of  the  flesh  against 
the  spirit ;  whereby  they  are  often  assailed  with 
temptations  and  fall  into,  many  sins  ;  are  hindered  in 
all  their  spiritual  services,  and  their  best  works  are 
imperfect  and  defiled  in  the  sight  of  God." 

This  being  the   case,   if  there  be   no  salvation  or 

'  "Before  death,  sin  is  only  repressed — after  tlie  rcsui-rection  sin  will 
be  exterminated.  Here  the  believer  lias  to  maintain  the  combat,  with 
a  tendency  to  evil  still  lodging  in  his  heart,  and  working  a  perverse 
movement  among  his  inclinations;  but  after  his  Avarfarc  in  this  world 
13  accomplished,  he  will  no  longer  be  so  thwarted.  The  great  constitu- 
tional plague  of  his  nature  Avill  no  longer  trouble  him;  and  there  will 
l>c  the  charm  of  a  genial  affinity  between  the  purity  of  his  heart  and  the 
purity  of  the  clement  he  breathes  in."  —  Chalmer's  Sermon  on  2 
Peler  iii.  13. 


231 

change  after  death,  what  is  to  be  done  with  these  be- 
lle veis  with  "  remnants  of  sin  abiding  in  every  part 
of  them  ?  "  Are  they  to  continue  as  "  imperfect  "  in 
the  future  life  as  they  are  in  this  life  ?  If  not,  then 
they  must  be  saved  to  that  extent  beyond  this  life  ; 
find  since  there  is  no  other  Saviour  but  Christ,  they 
must  be  saved  after  death  through  him.  And  thus  is 
demonstrated  the  truth  that  Ills  redeeming  agency 
docs  not  cease  at  death,  but  takes  up  the  soul  at  its 
entrance  upon  the  resurrection  world,  and  enlightens, 
guides  and  instructs  it  in  divine  things,  till  it  attains 
to  that  perfection,  purity  and  blessedness,  described 
by  the  term  "  heaven,"  or  by  the  words  of  Christ 
"  equal  unto  the  angels."  And  through  this  resur- 
rection change,  this  uplifting  into  the  image  of  God, 
all  must  pass  alike,  differing  only  in  degrees  ;  saint 
and  sinner,  believer  and  unbeliever,  Christian  and 
Pagan ;  those  who  have  learned  the  name  of  Christ 
In  this  world,  and  those  who  never  heard  of  him  till 
they  passed  over  the  boundaries  into  the  other  world. 
And  this  is  "  the  end  "  of  the  work  of  Jesus — the 
world  redeemed,  and  clothed  in  the  white  robes  of 
purity,  every  wanderer  restored,  every  fallen  one 
lifted  up,  and  the  great  family  of  God  renewed  in  the 
Divine  image  in  which  they  were  created.  To  this 
we  all  shall  come,  through  Christ  and  the  resurrec- 
tion. And  what  a  glorious  result !  with  what  infi- 
nite rejoicings  it  will  be  hailed  by  all  the  hosts  of 
heaven  !  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to 
receive  power,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor, 
and  glory,  and  blessing.  And  every  creature  which 
is  in  heaven,  and  on  earth,  and  under  the  earth,  and 
Buch  as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in  them,  heard 


232  THEOLOGY  OF  UNIVERSALISM. 

I  paying,  Blessing,  and  horror,  and  glory,  and  power, 
be  unto  him  tliat  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  untc 
the  Laml)  forever  and  ever."     Eev.  v. 

In  the  eloquent  language  of  Athanase  Coquerel, 
the  distinguished  Protestant  preacher  of  Paris,  and  an 
able  advocate  of  universal  restoration  :  "  What  an 
affecting  and  majestic  arrangement  of  the  universe, 
where  there  is  a  place  for  all ;  and  an  immortality 
where  there  is  an  opportunity  for  all !  These 
thoughts  are  so  delightful  and  consolatory,  that  we 
feel  constrained  to  regard  their  sublimity  as  one 
guaranty  more  for  their  truth.  And  the  glory  of  the 
Kedeemer  of  the  world  is  compromised  by  the  oppo- 
site doctrine,  as  much  as  our  joy  and  love.  To  be- 
lieve in  an  eternal  hell  as  well  as  an  eternal  heaven,  is 
to  bring  to  the  same  level  the  power  of  evil  and  false- 
hood, and  that  of  goodness  and  truth;  it  is  to  deny 
that  virtue  has  an  internal  and  irresistible  force, 
which  eventually  will  overcome  evil ;  it  is  to  deny 
that  truth  ought  to  outweigh  error.  I  ask,  is  it  ad- 
ministering to  the  glory  of  Jesus  to  say  to  him  : 
Thy  redemption  stops  for  man  at  the  tomb ;  powerful 
on  this  side,  it  is  powerless  beyond  ;  it  loses  itself,  so 
to  speak,  in  the  dust  of  the  sepulchre,  in  the  night  of 
death  ;  its  efficacy  lasts  for  the  duration  of  human 
life  only  ;  beyond  this  life,  it  no  longer  bears  fruit, 
and  has  nothing  to  give.  Is  it  not  a  much  better 
service  to  the  glory  of  His  mercy  to  announce  new 
triumphs,  and  to  say  to  him:  "Thou  savest  ever; 
thou  rcignest  over  the  living  and  the  dead  ;  thy  re- 
demption retains  all  its  value  through  immoi'tality  ; 
thy  reign  in  heaven  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  contin- 
ues thy  mission,  in  this   world  ;  thou  intercedcst  al- 


DEATH— KESURRECTIOK— SALVATION.         2S3 

tvays  with  equal  power ;  thou   savest   always   with 
equal  goodness!"^ 

SECTION     IV, 

DEATH  —  RESURRECTION  —  SALVATION  —  THEIR   RELATIONS  TO  EACH 
OTHER. 

We  have  already  indicated^  with  sufficient  clear- 
ness for  the  intelligent  reader,  the  spiritual  character 
of  the  agencies  and  processes  by  which  the  soul  is  to 
be  raised  up  and  redeemed  in  the  resurrection ;  but 
there  are  some  special  points  which,  for  the  sake  of 
the  inquirer,  may  call  for  farther  elucidation  and  il- 
lustration. And  it  is  necessary,  in  order  to  meet  a 
supposed  difficulty,  often  stated  in  the  following  form : 

"  A  change  of  place  is  not  a  change  of  character. 
To  suppose  that  its  entrance  into  the  future  world 
will  affect  the  moral  tendencies  of  the  soul,  or  give  a 
new  direction  to  its  dispositions,  desires  and  aims,  is 

^  *'  Le  Ctiristianisme  Experimental.^''  Translated  and  published 
in  London  under  the  title  of  "  Christianity;  itsperfect  adaptation  to  the 
Mental,  Moral  and  Spiritual  Natureof  Man,"  1847.  This  is  Coquerel's 
great  work,  the  sum  of  his  philosophy,  religion,  and  life  experience; 
the  last  chapter  of  which  has  this  title:  "  The  Expectation  of  Universal 
Hestoration,"  in  which  he  argues  the  subject  with  eminent  ability  and 
learning.  Later  still  he  has  published  another  work  on  this  subject: 
*'  La  Mort  Second  et  les  peines  eternelleii,'^  or  "  The  Second  Death 
and  Eternal  Punishment."  A  single  sentence  more:  "  0  my  brethren," 
he  exclaims,  "  accept  this  magnificent  hope  of  the  final  redemption 
of  all  in  Christ.  To  the  ti-iumphs  of  your  Divine  Saviour,  there  lacks 
only  the  abolition  of  hell.  Do  not  restrict  His  reign  to  the  narro'sv 
limits  of  a  mortal  career.  Make  room  in  eternity,  and  give  extension 
in  heaven,  to  what  is  infinite  in  the  love  of  Jesus."  It  is  pleasant  to 
know  that  the  gi-eat  doctrines  of  our  faith  are  preached  thus  eloquently 
to  a  congregation  of  two  thousand  persons,  by  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated Protestant  Ministers  of  France  —  and  that,  too,  in  the  heart  of 
Paris,  a  few  steps  only  from  the  very  church  whose  heavy  bell  gave<h« 
signal  for  the  St.  Bartholomew  massacre  ! 


284  THEOLOGY    OF   UXlVEnSALlSM. 

as  reasonable  as  to  argue  that  a  voyage  to  India 
would  change  the  moral  character  of  a  man,  or  make 
a  saint  of  a  sinner^  No  :  the  character  we  form  in 
this  life^  we  carry  with  us  into  the  other."^ 

This  objection  proceeds  on  the  ground  that  the  in- 
terest of  Christ  in  the  soul,  his  relation  to  it  as  a 
Saviour,  ceases  with  this  life  ;  and  that  in  the  future 
world  it  will  be  left  to  itself  without  guidance,  in- 
struction or  assistance.  But  the  Saviour,  as  shown 
already,  never  abandons  the  soul,  any  more  than  the 
shepherd  abandoned  his  sheep  when  it  went  from  the 
fold  into  the  wilderness.     He  follows  it  in  this  world, 

*A  comparison  of  this  old  school  Orthodox  and  Unitarian  philosophy 
ivith  the  following  fi-om  liberal  Orthodoxy,  will  give  us  one  of  the 
signs  of  the  times:  v 

•'  There  is  a  strong  tendency  manifested  among  men  at  this  time  to 
make  the  other  life  an  absolute  and  literal  continuation  of  this.  *  Just 
as  a  man  goes  out  of  this  world,  just  so  he  begins  in  the  other  world,' 
they  say. 

If  you  take  a  seed  that  has  ripened  in  Nova  Zembla,  and  bring  it  into 
the  tropics-,  and  plant  it,  it  will  not  be  what  it  would  have  been  in  Nova 
Zembla,  with  a  short  growing  season,  and  the  scantiest  su])ply  of  food. 
It  will  have,  with  a  long  summer,  and  an  abundant  supjDly,  a  growth 
to  which  no  one  would  suspect  that  it  could  attain,  who  had  only  seen 
it  grow  in  the  frigid  zones*  Many  things  that  are  shrubs  in  the  frigid 
Eones,  are  high,  waving  century  oaks  in  the  tropics.  And  so  men  in 
this  life  are  in  conditions  which,  though  fitted  to  develope  the  earlier 
stages  of  human  growth,  are  not  fitted  to  develop  the  full  estate  of  that 
idea  which  God  has  expressed  in  the  creation  of  man.  And  we  may 
hope  that  when  we  bid  adieu  to  our  mortal  life,  we  shall  leave  behind 
fcome  things  which  are  necessary  to  the  exigencies  of  our  condition  here, 
but  which  will  not  be  necessary  to  our  state  there.  Our  imagination, 
our  reason,  our  affections,  and  our  moral  sentiments,  we  shall  doubtless 
carry  with  us;  but  the  conditions  of  our  life  will  be  so  different  that  we 
shall  be  like  men  taken  from  poverty  into  abundance;  from  winter,  into 
Bummer;  from  a  cold  climate  and  a  frozen  soil,  ijito  a  soil  never  locked 
by  ice,  and  skies  that  never  know  frost.  Our  life  there  shall  be  ampler, 
fNiller,  nobler  than  it  is  here."—  H.  W.  JBeecker's  S€rjno7ion  De<ith, 


DEATH— RESURRECTIOX— SALVATION.         235 

and  into  all  worlds  beyond,  as  a  Guide,  and  Teacher, 
and  Redeemer,  till  it  is  found  and  restored. 

But  this  objection,  or  the  comparison  it  sets  up, 
fails  specially  by  falsely  substituting  "  place,"  or  the 
act  of  passing  to  it,  for  "  circumstances." 

If  a  voyage  to  India  would  have  no  elFect  on  the 
character  of  a  man,  very  likely  India  itself  would.  It 
is  not  pretended  that  the  mere  passage  over  the  sea 
would  effect  him  morally ;  but  most  assuredly  he 
would  be  affected  by  the  new  circumstances  and  in- 
fluences which  would  meet  him  at  his  coming ;  by 
new  associates,  and  customs,  and  manners;  new  esti* 
mates  of  virtue,  new  principles  of  action,  and  views 
of  morality.  And  how  abundantly  was  this  illustrat- 
ed in  the  early  history  of  the  English  East  India 
Company.  How  completely,  in  many  cases,  were  the 
men  who  first  went  out  to  that  country,  revolutioniz- 
ed in  character,  principles  and  morals. 

So  it  is  not  the  mere  act  of  dying,  or  passing  from 
one  world  to  another,  that  we  regard  as  affecting  that 
change  in  the  moral  condition  of  the  soul,  which  sets 
it  heavenward,  and  turns  all  its  impulses  and  aspira- 
tions toward  holiness  and  God,  But  it  is  the  mighty 
change  in  its  circumstances,  the  new  and  powerful  m- 
fluences  by  which  it  will  be  engirded  and  acted  upon, 
as  soon  as  it  enters  upon  its  new  sphere  of  being. 

And  when  we  consider  to  what  extent  character  in 
this  world  is  modified  by,  and  dependent  on,  condi- 
tion and  circumstances  ;  we  can  scarcely  err  in  giv- 
ing some  weight  to  this  argument. 

Look  at  the  wonderful  contrasts  produced  in  the 
Asiatic  and  European,  the  African  and  American,  by 
the  influence  of  geographical  position,   climate,   the 


Z.k>  THEOLOGY    OF   UNlVERSALIS3i. 

?oil  and  productions  of  the  earth ;  by  modes  of  life, 
customs,  superstitions,  knowledge  and  social  organ il'- 
ation.  And  consider  what  a  tremendous  power  over 
the  moral  nature,  over  the  development  of  character, 
the  mind  and  the  affections,  aims  and  enjoyments,  if 
had  by  education  and  ignorance,  plenty  and  poverty, 
kindness  and  neglect,  virtuous  and  vicious  compan- 
ions, the  presence  and  absence  of  temptations.  Look 
into  the  condition  of  the  destitute  and  dangerous 
classes  on  the  one  hand,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  into 
that  of  those  who  enjoy  all  the  privileges  of  mental 
and  moral  culture,  religion,  rirtuons  society,  and  a 
ready  and  abundant  supply  for  all  their  physical 
wants.  I  am  persuaded  that  any  one  will  feel  con- 
vinced by  the  examination,  that  much  of  our  good- 
ness is  due  to  the  favorable  circumstances  and  influ- 
ences by  w^hich  we  have  been  surrounded  from  our 
birth  ;  and  that  more  wickedness  than  is  generally 
supposed,  is  to  be  put  down  to  hunger,  and  naked- 
ness, and  tmcleanness,  to  bad  air,  and  bad  food  and 
shelter,  to  ignorance  and  evil  associations.  The 
apostle  rightly  says,  "  Et^il  communications  corrupt 
good  manners ;  "  and  it  is  equally  true  that  good 
communications  help  to  reform  bad  manners. 

And  can  we  estimate,  then,  too  highly,  the  power 
for  good  over  the  soul  which  will  be  put  in  action  by 
the  new  and  wonderful  circumstances  in  which  it  w^ill 
be  placed  on  its  entrance  into  the  spiritual  world,  by 
the  mighty  and  divine  influences  brought  to  bear 
upon  it  ?  No  longer  seeing  through  a  glass  darkly, 
as  it  did  when  veiled  wdthin  the  body,  it  there  sees  as 
a  spirit,  face  to  face,  and  perceives  the  real  character 
nnd  true  relations  of  things.     And  what  sudden  rev- 


DEATH — RESURRECTION — SALVATION.         237 

elations  of  truth,  of  love,  and  beauty,  burst  upon  its 
anointed  sight.  The  glory  of  God's  majesty,  the  ex- 
cellency of  his  wisdom,  the  extent  of  his  goodness, 
the  tenderness  and  the  love  of  the  Saviour  for  man, 
the  joy  and  the  spiritual  beauty  of  the  angels,  the 
blessedness  and  ever-increaslni>'  knowledoc  of  the  re- 
deemed,  the  boundless  creation  stretching  out  on  all 
sides  into  the  invisible,  the  countless  starry  worlds 
that  lie  like  shining  dust  under  the  foot  of  God  ! 

These,  and  a  thousand  other  exhibitions  of  divine 
power  and  wisdom,  and  a  thousand  otlier  revelations 
of  the  Saviour's  love  and  grace,  and  of  the  holiness 
and  bliss  of  heaven,  must,  indeed,  exert  a  mighty  at- 
tractive influence  on  the  new-born  soul,  lifting  it  up- 
ward. They  will  draw  it  toward  the  pure,  the  good, 
the  beautiful,  as  the  vapors  of  the  earth  and  sea  are 
drawn  upward  toward  the  sun,  by  the  attraction  of 
its  genial  ligjht  and  warmth. 

What  force  there  is  even  here  in  truth,  and  puri- 
ty, and  love.  How  reverent  they  will  make  us,  how 
gentle  and  yielding,  when  exerting  their  full  power 
upon  us.  How  strongly  we  arc  drawn  toward  a 
really  good  man,  even  in  this  life,  vdiile  surrounded 
by  all  manner  of  evil  influences,  and  perverted,  dark- 
ened, and  hindered  by  our  sinfulness,  O,  how  much 
more,  then,  when  the  darkness  and  blindness  which 
the  fleshly  veil  puts  upon  our  sight,  are  passed  away  ; 
when,  set  free  from  the  perverting  and  corrupting  in- 
fluences of  the  body,  v*'e  become  spirit  only,  behold- 
inn;  the  infinite  i^oodness  of  God ! 

And  now  let  us  turn  to  another  thought  connected 
with  the  subject.  It  is  sometimes  said,  that  a  man 
cannot  be  made  virtuous  or  holy,  as  a  soiled  garment 


f38  TirEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISJI. 

or  vessel  is  made  clean  by  washing  ;  that  the  resulfa 
of  conduct  are  not  arrested  by  some  sudden  miraclCy 
at  death,  and  the  soul  separated  from  its  sins,  purifi- 
ed and  saved,  by  a  kind  of  moral  chemistry,  without 
any  effort  or  volition  of  its  own  ;  that  death  is 
wholly  a  physical  result,  and  has  nothing  to  do  with 
shi,  nothing  to  do  with  salvation,  which  is  altogether 
a  spiritual  result. 

It  is  certainly  true  that  death  has  nothing  to  do 
with  sin  directly,  yet  the  hodi/  has  a  great  deal  to  do 
with  it ;  and  as  death  delivers  the  soul  from  the- 
body,  it  sets  it  free  from  the  temptations  of  the  body. 

Suppose  a  man  falls  into  the  sea  encumbered,  not 
only  with  his  ordinary  clothes,  but  with  thick,  heavy 
over-garments,  his  feet  encased  in  heavy  boots,  and 
his  hands  confined  in  stout  gloves.  By  great  exer- 
tion and  struggle,  he  succeeds  in  throwing  these  oflfl 
The  getting  quit  of  these,  does  not,  indeed,  save  him' 
from  drowning,  but  it  certainly  puts  him  in  a  better 
condition  for  reaching  the  shore.  So  death  does  not, 
itself,  bestow  purity,  knowledge,  and  happiness  on 
the  soul,  but  it  certainly  puts  it  in  a  better  eonditioii 
for  reaching  these,  by  freeing  it  from  all  the  clogs 
r.nd  hindrances  of  the  flesh, 

Henry  Ward  Beecher  seems  to  have  caught  the 
true  idea :  "We  shall  enter  upon  another  life  divest- 
ed of  many  of  the  hindrances  and  incumbrances  of 
this.  When  we  pass  from  life,  v/c  shall  leave  behind, 
not  only  the  body,  but  all  that  part  of  the  passions 
and  the  appetites  which  has  its  function  and  sphere 
on  account  of  our  poor  bodily  condition.  It  seems 
to  me  that  much  that  mars  life  is  what  we  call  in- 
Qrmity ;.  and  that  whjen  we  die,  we  leave   behind  ua 


DEATH — RESURRECTION— SALVATION.         239 

many  things  tliat  we  call  f-xults,  and  foibles,  and  sins, 
as  the  trees  shed  their  leaves  when  winter  comes. 
When  the  body  dies.  Oh,  how  much  will  perish  that 
is  the  result  of  the  forces  of  those  passions  which 
sleep  with  the  flesh  !  When  we  go  from  this  world. 
Low  shall  we  be  released  from  ten  thousand  things 
that  belong  to  our  physical  state,  and  that  tend  to 
hinder  our  spiritual  development !  "  * 

With  reo-ard  to  the  observation  that  "  the  results 
of  conduct  are  not  arrested  by  a  sudden  miracle  at 
death,"  we  may  speak  more  cautiously.  As  to  the 
miracle,  we  need  not  spend  words.  Experience 
shows  that,  without  a  miracle,  the  results  of  conduct, 
or  more  properly,  what  would  be  the  results  if  that 
conduct  were  continued,  are  often  arrested  by  influ- 
ences far  less  potent  than  death. 

Behold  the  triumphs  of  Reform  in  all  its  phases. 
Take,  as  an  example,  the  man  who,  for  years,  has 
given  himself  up  to  the  most  reckless  indulgence  of 
appetite,  rushing  down  from  one  depth  of  debasement 
to  another,  till  he  becomes  degraded  as  a  brute,  and 
ferocious  as  a  fiend.      See  him  now,  all  at  once,  sud- 

'  Independent, 'Deo..,  1881.  Clemens  Alexandrinus  said,  nearly 
1700  years  ago  :  "  Souls  in  their  separate  state,  though  darkened  by 
evil  passions,  have  yet  a  clearer  discernment  than  they  had  whilst  ia 
the  body,  because  they  are  no  longer  clouded  and  encumbered  by  the 
flesh."  Stro/nata,  Lib.  vi.  cap.  6.  The  ancient  Fathers  generally  un- 
derstood the  preaching  to  tlie  spirits  in  prison,  1  Peter  iii.,  literally, 
and  Clement  and  Origen  both  quote  the  passage  in  proof  of  a  future 
universal  restoration.  Origex  believed  that  the  souls  of  the  good,  or 
Christians,  at  death,  go  to  Paradise,  or  the  bosom  of  Abraham;  and 
that,  as  they  grow  in  knowledge,  they  rise  to  higher  and  higher  regions, 
till  they  finally  reach  that  state  of  perfection  and  blessedness  called 
Heaven.  Gregory  Nazianzen,  and  others,  believed  they  went  direct- 
ly into  the  presence  of  God.—  Hagenbach,  History  of  Doctrines^ 
Sects.  77,  78,  142. 


240  THEOLOGY   OF  UNIVERSALISM. 

tlen  as  the  flash  of  the  lightning,  arrested  in  his 
course  !  A  look,  or  a  tone  of  the  voice,  a  dream,  a 
beautiful  memory,  the  prayer  of  his  childhood,  the 
vision  of  his  dead  mother's  sweet  forgiving  look,  the 
remembrance  of  a  sister's  love,  the  face  of  a  child, 
a  strain  of  music,  turns  back  the  whole  tide  of  his 
being  ;  and  the  steps  that  were  just  now  going  down- 
ward to  hell,  are  turned  upward  toward  heaven ! 

And  if  such  slight  incidents  can  so  suddenly  arrest 
the  sinful  and  criminal,  and  turn  the  whole  current  of 
thought,  and  feeling,  and  purpose,  into  a  new  and 
right  direction ;  can  death,  which  liberates  the  soul 
from  the  body  and  its  temptations,  be  powerless  in  its 
influence?  Is  it  presumption  to  suppose  that  this 
great  event,  which  changes  the  condition,  and  all  the 
outward  relations  of  the  spirit,  and  opens  for  it  a  new 
era  of  existence,  will  arrest  its  evil  tendencies,  and 
exert  a  mighty  moral  influence  upon  it  ?  I  think  a 
just  and  intelligent  philosophy  would  predict  precise- 
ly such  a  result  on  inductive  principles. 

And  let  us  not  be  deceived  by  any  false  ideas  of 
forcing;  the  soul  into  the  rio-ht,  or  violatino;  the  laws  of 
its  spiritual  constitution,  by  turning  it  to  God.  The 
new  influences  acting  upon  it  in  the  resurrection, 
may  aflect  it  more  powerfully,  and  more  quickly  im- 
part to  its  desires  and  affections,  a  right  direction, 
than  while  in  association  with  the  body  ;  but  it  will 
be  in  perfect  accord  with  the  nature  of  the  soul,  with 
the  laws  of  its  being,  and  with  its  volition  and  fi^c- 
doiii.  AYe  believe  in  no  violation,  or  forcible  sus^ 
pension  of  these.  Jesus  will  work  out  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  soul  in  the  resurrection,  by  the  same 
agencies  which  he  employs  here.     He  will  not  save 


DEATH — RESURKECTIOX — SALVATIOX.         241 

by  "  meclianical "  forces  or  means,  but  by  such 
means  as  shall  address  themselves  to  the  natural  con- 
ditions and  elements  of  the  spiritual  being. 

The  growth  of  a  plant  may  be  hastened  by  an  in- 
crease of  light  and  heat,  or  by  a  more  favorable  loca- 
tion, or  fitting  soil.  And  the  same  result  may  be 
obtained  by  a  peculiar  dressing  of  the  soil,  or  by  an 
increase  of  electricity  supplied  to  the  earth  and 
plant.  But  all  this  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the 
radical  nature  and  laws  of  the  plant ;  nay,  could  not 
be  at  all,  if  it  were  not  so.  Whatever  sudden  in- 
crease of  growth  or  productiveness  is  attained,  is  the 
consequence  of  more  favorable  circumstances  adapted 
to  the  existing  capacities,  structure,  and  wants  of  the 
plant. 

So  with  the  soul,  in  the  resurrection.  It  is 
brought  into  more  favorable  circumstances,  and  its 
growth  is  more  rapidly  set  forward  by  a  great  and 
sudden  increase  of  spiritual  light  and  heat ;  but  in 
perfect  harmony  with  its  nature,  the  laws  of  its 
structure  and  development,  and  the  capacities  with 
which  it  was  origiifally  endowed.  The  germ  of  all 
the  soul  will  attain  to,  and  enjoy,  in  the  future  life,  is 
doubtless  within  it  now  and  here.  The  more  genial 
clime  of  the  spirit  world  will  only  quicken  and  de- 
velop it. 

There  is  a  pleasant  passage  from  Mountford,  illus- 
trating this  truth  :  "  Look  out  of  the  window,  at  the 
garden.  It  is  very  beautiful.  But  what  was  it  last 
Christmas,  when  barrenness,  and  cold,  and  death, 
reigned  every  where,  over  garden,  and  field,  and  for- 
est ?  And  yet  nearly  all  you  now  behold  was  at  that 
time  existent  under  the  soil.     There  lav  latent  in  the 


242  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVEESALISM. 

liarcl  black  clods  of  earth,  all  the  gracefulness  of 
those  plants,  the  shady  foliage  of  the  trees,  every 
flowery  perfume,  the  lusciousness  of  the  grape  and 
the  strawberry ;  and  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow, 
those  of  the  rose,  the  polyanthus,  the  daffodil,  the 
daisy,  the  violet,  and  the  acanthus,  together  with  all 
the  sweetness  and  the  attractiveness  of  the  whole 
scene.  Three  months  sunshine  and  rain  have  foster- 
ed, out  of  dead  earth,  all  this  beauty  and  abundance  ! 
But  rain  and  sunshine,  what  are  they,  as  agents  com- 
pared with  holy  influences  like  those  which  the 
Father  Almighty  can  exert  upon  the  soul  of  man !  '' 

Need  we,  then,  when  we  see  these  wonders  of  re- 
newal, in  the  natural  w^orld,  wrought  out  by  such 
simple  agencies,  need  we  doubt  the  final  restoration 
of  the  soul  to  God  ?  Can  we  doubt  his  resources, 
his  power  to  renew  it  again  in  its  first  love,  in  the 
glory  of  its  primeval  state  ?  Can  we  imagine  a  beau- 
ty of  holiness,  an  excess  of  bliss,  too  great  for  the 
resurrection  state  ?  too  great  for  the  soul's  glad  sum- 
mer to  realize  ? 

And  when  we  see  the  simplicity  of  method  and 
means  by  which  God  works  in  the  natural  world,  and 
freshens  the  earth  into  beauty  and  abundance  ;  shall 
we  sufler  any  vain  and  blind  philosophy  to  deceive  us 
with  the  idle  assertion  that  this  doctrine  makes  the 
resurrection  only  a  kind  of  moral  chemistry,  and  the 
salvation  of  the  soul  a  deliverance  and  purification  as 
J3y  miracle  ?  In  the  presence  of  the  great  restora- 
tion of  Nature  in  her  spring-time,  does  a  like  renew- 
al in  the  S2:)iritual  world,  look  impossible  or  unphilo- 
Bophical  ?  I  do  not  say  "  unscriptural,"  because,  as 
we  have  seen,  the   Go.^pcl   authoritatively  announces 


DEATH — RESURRECTION — SALVATION.         243 

this  glorious  consummation  as  the  eternal  purpose  of 
God,  and  the  end,  and  the  crowning  triumph,  of 
Christ's  mission. 


In  the  preceding  chapters,  we  have  presented  the 
leading  doctrines  of  the  Theology  of  Universalism,  in 
their  natural  and  consequential  relations.  We  have 
endeavored  to  show  how  they  link  into  each  other, 
and  unite  in  a  complete  system  ;  beginning  in  the 
original  purpose  and  plan  of  God,  embracing  the  ar- 
gument from  the  Divine  character  and  perfections, 
the  object  of  the  Saviour's  mission,  the  nature  of  his 
Eedemption,  the  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  New 
Birth  of  the  soul,  the  glory  and  blessedness  of  the 
Immortal  Life ;  and  ending  in  the  final  restoration 
and  exaltation  to  this  life  of  all  mankind  through 
Jesus  Christ. 

These  doctrines  are  coincident  with  the  entire  drift 
of  Divine  Eevelation ;  they  constitute  the  substance 
and  meaning  of  the  Gospel,  and  alone  give  to  the 
mission  of  the  Son  of  God,  its  true  dignity  and  value. 
In  themselves,  they  are  a  system  of  Divinity.  They 
complete  the  argument  in  relation  to  human  destiny, 
and  the  ultimate  results  of  the  government  of  God 
on  earth  ;  and  establish  the  ever-blessed  and  beauti- 
ful truth,  that  the  good  of  Man  and  the  glory  of 
G  od   are  one  and  inseparable. 

But  in  conducting  the  inquiry  thus  far,  we  have 
avoided  all  side  issues,  all  discussions  of  collateral 
doctrines,  for  the  express  purpose  of  carrying  the  ar- 
gument forward,  without  interruption,  from  its  start- 
ing point  in  the  primal  purpose  of  God,  to  its  logical 
conclusion  in  the   final  restoration  and  perfection  of 


244  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

mankmd.  Consequently,  we  have  omitted  all  polemi- 
cal reference,  not  absolutely  in  the  line  of  reasoning 
jDursued,  to  the  doctrines  of  Judgment,  of  Rewards 
and  Punishments  specially  as  such,  of  Repentance 
and  Forgiveness,  the  Divine  Law  and  its  Penalties, 
Damnation,  Everlasting  Punishment,  Hell,  &c.  ;  re- 
serving them  for  separate  consideration,  as  collateral 
proofs,  and  illustrations  of  the  main  argument. 

These  subjects,  which  embrace  a  wide  range  of  in- 
quiry, and  exposition,  will  receive  attention  in  the 
chapters  which  follow.  And  the  reader  Avill  not  only 
find  that  the  teachings  of  the  Bible  on  these  points, 
do  not  contravene  the  argument  of  the  preceding 
chapters  ;  but  as  intimated,  it  will  be  a  pleasing  sur- 
prise to  him,  if  he  has  not  investigated  the  subject 
before,  to  find  how  perfectly  they  harmonize  with, 
and  how  thoroughly  they  confirm,  the  crowning  doc- 
trine of  Universal  Redemption.  This  will  especially 
appear  in  the  several  expositions  of  the  doctrines 
concerning  Judgment,  the  Divine  Law,  Rewards 
and  Punishments,  &c.  They  will  discover  the  man- 
ner in  which  all  these  great  facts  and  principles  of  the 
Divine  Government,  converge  upon  the  single  point 
of  the  final  abolition  of  all  sin  and  suffering,  and  the 
everlasting  reign  of  holiness  and  happiness  through- 
out the  universe.  And  at  the  close  of  the  investiga- 
tion, he  will,  perhaps,  take  up  the  saying  of  the  an- 
cient people,  with  a  larger  and  more  glorious  mean- 
ing :  "  The  Lord  is  our  Judge,  the  Lord  is  our 
Lawgiver,  the  Lord  is  our  King ;  he  will  save  us." 
Lsa.  xxxiii. 


CHAPTEE   VII. 

THE    SCRIPTURAL  DOCTRINE   OF   JUDGMENT, 

The  word   Judgment  is  used  with  a  variety  of  sig 
nifications  in  the  sacred  writings. 

1.  As  descriptive  of  the  Laws  or  Commandmentt 
of  God  to  the  Jews.  After  statutes  and  laws  were 
■given  to  the  people,  Moses  said  to  them  :  "  Where- 
fore, it  shall  come  to  pass,  if  ye  hearken  to  these 
judgments^  and  keep,  and  do  them,"  <S;c.     Deut.  vii. 

2.  As  descriptive  of  Punishment.  "  My  sword 
shall  come  down  upon  Idumea,  and  upon  the  people 
of  my  curse  to  judgment.'"     Isaiah  xxxiv. 

3.  For  Justice.  "  There  is  no  judgment  in  their 
goings."  Isa.  lix.  *'  Ye  pay  tithes  of  annis,  cum- 
min and  mint,  but  have  omitted  the  weightier  matters 
of  the  Ijhw,  judgment^  mercy,  and  faith."  Matt,  xxlii* 
"Princes  shall  rule  in  judgment.''     Isaiah  xxxii. 

4.  As  descriptive  of  Goveimment^  or  Hule  over  a 
people.  "  Then  all  the  elders  of  Israel  came  to  Sam- 
uel, and  said  unto  him,  Behold,  thou  art  old,  now 
make  us  a  hing  to  judge  us  like  all  the  nations.'* 
I  Sam.  viii.  "  Sampon  judged  Israel  twenty  years." 
And  Paul  said  to  Felix  (Acts  xxiv.  10,)  "  Foras- 
much as  thou  has  been  of  many  years,  a  judge  of  this 
nation^'''  &c.  Felix  was  governor  of  the  Jews.  In 
the  same  sense  we  find  it  used  in  Psalm  Ixvii.  4,  ap- 
plied to   Jehovah.     "  O  let  the  nations  be  glad,  and 


24:6  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVEllSALISM. 

sing  for  joy  I     For  thou  slialt  judge  the  people  right- 
eously, and  govern  the  nations  upon  the  earth." 

We  shall  proceed  to  consider  first,  the  subject  of 
this  quotation—  God  judging  the  earth. 

SECTION^      I. 

GOD  JUDGING  THE  WORLD  UNDER  THE  OLD  DISPENSATIOK. 

Under  the  Old  Dispensation,  God  is  represented 
as  judging  the  earth,  or  mankind,  in  this  sense  ;  as 
ruling  and  governing  the  world,  rewarding  and  pun- 
ishing, and  possessing  and  exercising  all  the  powers 
appertaining  to  a  sovereign  or  ruler  of  a  people.  He 
is  judging  every  day,  continually  employing  his  au- 
thority in  encouraging  the  virtuous  and  obedient,  and 
punishing  the  vicious  and  rebellious,  all  w~ith  the  de- 
sign of  promoting  the  highest  usefulness  and  happi- 
ness of  those  who  are  thus  judged  or  governed. 

"  Thou  satest  in  the  throne  judging  right.  The 
Lord  shall  endure  for  ever  :  he  hath  prepared  his 
throne  for  judgment.  And  he  shall  judge  the  world 
in  righteousness,  he  shall  minister  judgment  to  the 
people  in  uprightness.  The  Lord  also  will  be  a  re- 
fuge for  the  oppressed,  a  refuge  in  times  of  trouble." 
Psalm  ix.  2-10.  The  use  of  the  words  "  govern," 
"  reign,"  "  throne,"  (&c.,  show  that  the  term  "judg- 
ment "  is  the  synonym  of  "  government." 

Numerous  are  the  passages  which  illustrate  thi;^ 
important  fact ;  such  as  Genesis  xviii. :  '*  Shall  not 
the  judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right?"  Psalm  Iviii. : 
"  Verily  there  is  a  reward  for  the  righteous ;  verily 
he  is  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth."  Jeremiah 
ix. :  "I  am  the  Lord  which  exercise  loving  kindness, 


GOD  JUDGING  THE  WORLD.  24? 

judgment  and  righteousness  in  the  earth."  Psalm 
xcvi.  10-18 :  "  Say  among  the  heathen  that  the 
Lord  reigneth  t  the  world  also  shall  be  established^ 
that  it  shall  not  be  moved :  he  shall  judge  the  people 
righteously.  Let  the  heavens  rejoice,  and  let  the 
earth  be  glad  ;  let  the  sea  roar,  and  the  fulness  thereof; 
let  the  field  be  joyful,  and  all  that  is  therein.  Then 
shall  all  the  trees  of  the  wood  rejoice  before  the  Lord ; 
for  he  Cometh,  for  he  cometh  to  judge  the  earth;  he 
Bhall  judge  the  world  with  righteousness^  and  the 
people  with  his  truth." 

These  passages  show  very  conclusively  that,  under 
the  old  dispensation,  and  in  the  Old  Testament  Scrips 
tures,  God  is  set  forth  as  the  Judo-e  or  Ruler  of  the 
World,  — -  exercising  his  authority  continually,  reward^ 
ing  the  righteous  and  punishing  the  wicked,  here  on 
the  earth.  Let  us  look  at  some  examples  showing  the 
manner  in  which  the  Divine  Sovereign  ruled  and 
judged  the  world  from  day  to  day. 

I.   Prior  to  the  giving  of  the  Law. 

I  cannot  go  into  particulars  ;  nor  is  it  needful,  since 
all  readers  of  the  Bible  are  familiar  with  the  cases* 
The  blessings  and  rewards  of  obedience  are  illustrated 
in  the  lives  of  Abraham^  JSfoah^  Lot.,  &c.  These 
were  encouraged  by  the  direct  results  of  faith  and 
virtue  ;  and  all  men  seeing  the  divine  favor  manifested 
toward  them,  were  encouraged  to  follow  in  their 
steps. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  judgment  of  punishment  i? 
exhibited  in  the  case  of  Cain.,  the  Antediluviajis., 
Sodom,  &c.  These  show  that  God  was  a  judge  in 
the  earth ;  and  such  patent  and  visible  retributions  of 
Providence  acted  as  warnings  to  the  rude  people  of 


248  THEOLOGY  OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

tliose  ages,  who  must  sec  the  wicked  punished  ;  who 
could  better  appreciate  these  than  the  subtle  retribu- 
tions of  conscience  and  the  inner  life,  which  went  on 
out  of  sight  of  the  world. 

II.  Under  the  Law, 

The  history  of  the  Jews  is  a  perfect  commentary 
on  the  doctrine  that  God  judgeth  in  the  earth.  This 
people  enjoyed  great  favors  when  obedient,  and  were 
punished  when  disobedient ;  and  their  annals  furnish 
abundant  evidence  of  the  manner  and  nature  of  the 
divine  judgment  under  the  Law,  showing  that  "  the 
righteous  are  recompensed  in  the  earth,"  also  "  the 
wicked  and  the  sinner."  Prov.  xi.  The  whole  mat- 
ter is  set  out  in  detail  in  Deuteronomy  xxviii.  1-9, 
58-G9. 

Thus  it  is  proved  that,  in  the  words  of  Paul,  ''every 
transgression  and  disobedience  received  a  just  recom-' 
peiise  of  reward,^^  Hch.  ii.  2;  or  as  Jehovah  himself 
expresses  it,  "  According  to  their  way  and  doings  I 
judged  them,^^ — past  ti7ne,     Ezekiel  xxxvi.  10. 

III.  The  Heathen.  These  were  governed  or  judged 
by  the  unwritten  law  of  conscience^  as  seen  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Homans  ii.  14, 15:  "  For  when  the  Gen- 
tiles, which  have  not  the  law,  do  by  nature  the  things 
contained  in  the  law,  these  having  not  the  law,  are 
a  law  unto  themselves  ;  which  shew  the  work  of  the 
law  written  in  their  hearts,  their  conscience  also  bear- 
injx  witness,  and  their  thoughts  the  mean  while  accus^ 
ing,  or  else  excusing  one  another." 

Psalms  vil.  11,  seems  to  cover  the  whole  ground 
"  God  judgeth  the  righteous,  and  God  is  angry  with 
the  wicked  every  day"  —  i.  e.,  every  day  he  judges 
lii;."  riglitcous  and  the  wicked,  rewarding  the  one,  and 
j)unishing  the  other. 


viOD  JUDGING  THE  WORLD.  249 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  previous  to  the  com- 
ing of  Christ,  the  Son  and  Eepresentative  of  God. 
God,  so  to  speak,  judged  the  world  directly  by  the 
law  of  knowledge  and  truth  given.  But  when  Christ 
entered  on  his  mission,  a  new  order  of  things  began  — 
new  revelations  were  given,  and  a  new  kingdom 
get  up. 

Jesus  was  sent  as  a  spiritual  king  and  judge  in  the 
place  of  God,  for  a  time,  for  a  specific  purpose. 
Hence  he  says,  "  All  power  is  given  me  in  heaven 
and  in  earth."  Matt,  xxviii.  18.  And  again,  "The 
Father  judgeth  no  man,  but  hath  committed  all  judg- 
ment to  the  Son,  that  all  men  should  honor  the  Son 
even  as  they  honor  the  Father."     John  v.  22. 

From  this  it  is  seen  that,  on  and  after  the  establish- 
ment of  the  gospel  kingdom,  Jesus  is  recognized  as 
King,  Judge  or  Ruler  of  the  world ;  and  hence  he 
says,  "For  judgment  I  am  come  into  t': is  world," 
(John  ix.  39)  —  i.  e.,  to  rule  and  govern  the  AW)rld 
by  the  laws  and  principles  of  the  gospel,  rewarding 
and  punishing,  encouraging  and  correcting,  till  all 
shall  be  brought  into  obedience  to  truth  and  holiness. 

In  concluding  this  part  of  the  inquiry,  it  may  be 
well  to  note,  that  the  fact  of  God's  judging  the  world 
is  regarded  by  the  Scripture  writers  not  as  a  matter 
of  terror,  but  of  rejoicing,  as  in  Psalm  xcvi.  This  is 
important ;  as  generally  it  is  considered  a  reason  for 
fear.  David,  who  had  suffered  from  the  judging  of 
God,  exclaims,  "  Thy  judgments  are  right,  and  thou 
in  faithfulness  hast  afflicted  me."  Psalm  cxix.  75. 
Again :  "  Unto  thee,  O  Lord,  belongeth  mercy ^  for 
thou  renderest  to  every  man  according  to  his  w^ork." 
Psalm  Ixii.  12.     This  is  a  remarkable  passage.     The 


250  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

Psalmist  ascribes  mercy  to  God,  because  he  judges 
every  man  according  to  his  works,  the  righteous  and 
the  wicked !  How  different  these  views  of  David 
respecting  the  coming  of  God  to  judgment  with  every 
man,  compared  with  the  views  entertained  by  most 
Christians  on  the  same  subject.  While  they  preach 
terror,  he  calls  upon  all  the  world  to  rejoice. 

This  mingling  of  severity  and  goodness  should  fill 
us  with  confidence  in  the  beneficent  issues  of  all  his 
judgments ;  and  the  promise  of  the  after  peaceable 
fruits  of  rio^hteousness,  should  fill  us  with  o-ratitude 
toward  him  who,  even  in  his  punishments,  seeks  our 
eternal  welfare. 

Nothing  is  more  important  than  right  faith  and 
right  feeling  on  this  point.  Nothing  will  contribute 
so  much  toward  that  spirit  of  reverent  obedience,  that 
tender  afiection  and  child-like  trust  toward  God, 
Avhich  it  is  the  aim  of  the  Gospel  to  inculcate  in  every 
human  heart.  Xever  let  us  sink  the  Father  in  the 
Judo'c  or  the  Lawo'iver.  Never  let  us  foro;et  that  in 
all  he  does,  God  seeks  our  good ;  and  so  we  shall 
be  the  more  likely  in  all  we  do  to  seek  his  glory. 

And  we  must  keep  in  mind,  also,  that  under  the 
new  dispensation,  as  well  as  under  the  old,  all  power 
resides  in  God;  and  that  though  now  Christ  judges 
the  world,  he  judges  by  virtue  of  authority  given 
him  of  the  Father,  and  administers  the  government 
according  to  the  principles  laid  down  by  the  Father. 
Hence  He  says  :  "  I  can  of  mine  own  self  do  nothing. 
As  I  hear,  I  judge;  and  my  judgment  is  just,  be- 
cause I  seek  not  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  the 
Father  which  hath  sent  me."     John  v.  30. 


CHRIST  JUDGES  THE  WORLD.  251 

SECTION     II. 

CHRIST    JUDGES    THE   "WORLD   UNDER    THE   NEW  DISPENSATION^. 

In  the  previous  section  we  considered  tlie  Scrip- 
tural doctrine  of  Judgment,  as  significant  of  rule  or 
government,  including  the  administration  of  rewards 
and  punishments ;  ending  with  the  announcement  of 
the  important  fact  of  the  appointment  of  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,  as  Judge  or  Kuler  of  the  world  under 
the  new  or  gospel  dispensation. 

We  have  seen  the  great  truth  fully  established  by 
Scripture,  that  God  judged  the  world  every  day, 
rewarding  the  righteous  and  punishing  the  wicked. 

Of  course,  if  the  world  under  Christ  or  the  gospel 
is  to  be  governed  or  judged  according  to  a  new  set 
of  laws  Or  principles,  we  shall  be  notified  of  this  in 
the  outset.  If,  instead  of  ruling  or  judging  by 
present  rewards  and  penalties,  the  whole  matter  is  to 
be  postponed  to  the  end  of  the  material  world,  or  of 
Christ^s  reign,  we  shall  certainly  be  told  of  so  im- 
portant a  change,  in  the  very  opening  of  the  new 
order  of  things. 

This,  however,  is  not  done :  there  is  not  a  word  in 
relation  to  it!  If  such  a  momentous  revolution  took 
place,  we  are  not  informed  of  it. 

Xow,  suppose  a  king  or  governor  should  suddenly 
change  the  whole  order  of  proceedings  in  regard  to 
criminal  matters  ;  the  laws,  penalties,  the  time  and 
place  of  trial  and  punishment,  and  the  entire  consti- 
tution of  government  itself;  —  suppose,  instead  of  pro- 
tecthig  life  and  property,  and  securing  the  rights  and 
safety  of  virtuous  and  peaceful  citizens,  and  punish- 
ing law-breakers  and  criminals  immediately  on  com- 


li.Jl!  TnEOLOGY    OF    UXIYERSxVLISM. 

mission  of  the  offense,  he  should  leave  every  kind  of 
crime  and  wickedness  to  go  unpunished,  and  excuse 
himself  by  saying  that  he  had  appointed  a  day  at 
the  end  of  twenty  years  for  adjusting  all  these  mat- 
ters, rewardmg  the  good  and  punishing  the  bad ! 
Suppose  this ;  and  not  to  say  anything  of  the  ab- 
surdity and  folly  and  injustice  of  such  a  government, 
would  he  not  be  bound  morally,  and  by  every  con- 
sideration of  equity  and  honor,  to  notify  his  subjects 
of  so  greeit  and  vital  a  change  ?  Y^es^  is  the  uni- 
versal answer.  But  neither  God,  nor  Christ,  give 
any  notice  of  such  a  change  as  this.  God  nowhere 
announces  that,  having  for  4000  years  tried  the  plan 
of  continuous  rewards  and  punishments,  and  found  it 
0  failure,  henceforth  he  will  leave  every  one  to  do 
as  he  pleases,  till  the  end  of  the  world.  The  Scrip- 
ture is  wholly  silent  in  regard  to  such  a  sudden  and 
mighty  contrast  between  the  Old  and  New  Dispensa- 
tions !  This  could  not  be,  if  such  a  change  in  the 
spiritual  government  or  judging  of  the  world  had 
taken  place  under  Christ.  And  there  can  be  no 
stronger  presumptive  proof  possible  against  the  com- 
mon church  doctrine,  than  this  entire  silence  on  the 
part  of  God  just  at  the  time  when,  of  all  others,  we 
have  every  reason  to  suppose  he  would  have  spoken 
in  the  most  distinct  and  positive  manner. 

Let  UG  now  turn  to  some  of  the  more  important 
particulars  of  this  judgment  of  the  world  by  Christ. 

§  I.  The  time  and  place  of  Christ's  judgment  — 
when  the  judgment  day  hcgan. 

AYe  must  not  forget  the  true  import  of  the  term 
''judgment,"  —  namely,  that  of  rule  or  government, 
sometimes  rewarding  and  sometimes  punishing,  ac- 


CHRIST    JUDGES    THE    WORLD.  25S 

wording  to  the  conduct  of  tlie  subject,  Felix  was 
the  judge  or  governor  of  the  Jews,  and  Samson 
judged  or  ruled  Israel  twenty  years.  So  Christ  judges 
the  world,  iTiling  according  to  the  laws  of  the  spirit- 
ual kingdom  which  the  Father  gave  him^ 

And  now,  when  did  this  judgment  begin  ?  The 
following  testimony  will  shovf  :  •'  I  saw  in  the  night 
visions,  and  behold  one  like  the  Son  of  man  came  in 
the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  came  to  the  Ancient  of 
days,  and  they  brought  him  near  before  him.  And 
there  was  given  him  dominion,  and  glory,  and  a  hing" 
dom^  that  all  people,  nations,  and  languages,  should 
serve  him ;  his  dominion,  is  an  everlasting  dominion, 
which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his  kingdom  that 
which  shall  not  be  destroyed"     Dan.  vii.  13,  14. 

Here  we  see  the  inauguration  of  the  Son  of  man 
as  the  spiritual  Ruler  of  the  world,  and  the  nature  of 
the  dominion  given  into  his  hands  by  the  Ancient  of 
days.  And  this,  of  course,  took  place  at  the  time  of 
the  abolition  of  the  Old  Dispensation,  respecting 
which  we  are  abundantly  certified  that  it  was  accom- 
plished when  the  city  and  temple  were  destroyed,  the 
daily  sacrifice  taken  away,  and  the  Jewish  State  and 
Church  utterly  abolished  and  disowned  of  God.  Pro- 
fessor Bush,  a  well-known  and  distinguished  Biblical 
scholar  and  critic,  says  :  — 

"  We  deem  the  evidence  decisive,  that  this  economy 
of 'judgment '  was  to  commence  synchronically  with 
that  predicted  '  coming  *  of  Christ  which  is  so  splen- 
didly set  forth  in  the  vision  of  Daniel,  where  the  Son 
of  man  receives  his  kingdom  from  the  Ancient  of 
days.  But  let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  '  coming 
pf   the    Son   of  man   in   the  clouds   of  heaven,"  an* 


2^4i  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVEESALISM. 

nounced  by  Daniel,  is  pj^eciseli/  the  same  coming  with 
that  announced  by  our  Saviour  in  the  Gospels,  espe- 
cially Matt.  xvi.  27,  28 ;  '  for  tbe  vSon  of  man  shall 
come  in  the  glory  of  his  Father,  with  his  angels  ;  and 
then  he  shall  reward  every  man  according  to  his 
works.  '  Yerily  I  say  unto  you,  there  be  some  stand- 
ing here  which  shall  not  taste  of  death,  till  they  see 
the  Son  of  man  comino;  in  his  kino-dom."  So  ao;ain. 
Matt.  xxiv.  £4 :  '  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  this  genera- 
tion shall  not  pass  till  all  these  things  be  fulfilled.' 
So  also.  Matt.  x.  23  :  '  Yerily  I  say  unto  you,  ye 
shall  not  have  gone  over  the  cities  of  Israel  till  the 
Son  of  man  be  come.' 

We  hold  it  to  be  utterly  impossible,  upon  fair 
canons  of  interpretation,  to  divorce  these  predictions 
of  Daniel  and  of  Christ  from  a  joint  reference  to  one 
and  the  same  coming,  and  that,  too,  a  coming  that 
was  to  be  realized  in  its  incipient  stages  at  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem.  We  are  satisfied,  indeed,  that 
that  event  did  not  exhaust  the  import  of  this  preg- 
nant prophecy.  We  doubt  not  that  it  embraces  a 
grand  scries  of  cvcnt£— a  dispensation,  in  fine — ex- 
tendinir  throui2;li  the  lapse  of  hundreds  of  years,  down 
to  the  period  when  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall 
liecome  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ. 
\\uti\\Q.  commencement  of  this  train  of  occurrences 
is  to  be  dated  from  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem. 
Then  it  was  that  the  '  great  judgment  '  commenced, 
because  then  the  '  kingdcni  of  the  Messiah  '  took  its 
epen  and  manifested  rise."' 

^  Bnsii  on  the  "Resurrection,"  p.  28.'5.  Lee,  in  his  late  work  on 
'  Eschatology,"  takes  the  same  view:  "  He  begins  the  work  of  judg- 
(nent  when  he  receives  his  kingdom. "  p.  124. 


CllIlIST  JUDGES  THE  WORLD.  255 

Here,  tlien,  ^ve  have  fin  important  point  established, 
viz :  that  the  judgment  day  of  Christ  began  with 
the  opening  of  his  kingdom.  And  one  of  the  first 
and  most  momentous  displays  of  his  authority  is  ex- 
hibited in  the  punishment  of  the  Jews  and  the  ene- 
mies of  the  truth,  as  set  forth  in  the  parable  of  tiie 
sheep  and  goats ;  at  the  same  time  bestowing  the  re- 
ward of  life  and  peace  on  his  faithful  disciples. 

This  was  the  opening  scene  of  Christ's  kingdom,  of 
his  judgment  or  government  of  the  world ;  and  this 
judgment  has  been  going  on  from  that  day  to  this, 
progressive,  continual,  and  it  will  go  on  till  he  sur- 
renders back  again  to  God  the  kingdom  and  power 
which  he  received  from  him.  It  is  in  this  fact  —  that 
the  gospel  day,  or  the  period  of  Christ's  reign,  is  the 
judgment  day  in  which  every  one  is  rewarded  accord- 
ing to  what  he  does,  whether  good  or  bad — -that  we 
find  the  key  to  many  important  passages. 

Paul  says,  Kom.  vi.  23 :  "  The  w^ages  of  sin  is 
death."  "  Wages  "  signifies  the  "  daily  pay  "  of  a 
lioman  soldier.  This  is  the  literal  meaning  of  the 
Greek  word.  So  the  sinner  is  represented  as  receiv- 
ing daily  his  pay  for  the  evil  he  does  —  not  as  re- 
prieved to  end  of  life,  and  then  receiving  it  all  at 
once. 

To  this  point  also  is  Acts  xvii.  SO,  31 :  "  He  hath 
appointed  a  day  in  the  which  he  will  judge  the  world 
in  righteousness  by  that  man  whom  he  hath  or- 
dained," &c.  "  The  verb  estesen  does  not  signify 
appoint  with  reference  to  the  future,  but  establish  at 
present.  So  that  the  text  does  not  assert  that  God 
has  appointed  a  future  day  when  he  will  judge  the 
world,  but  that  he  has   constituted  or   established  a 


256  THEOLOGY    OF    UXITERSALTSJI. 

court  at  which  he  is  now  ready  to  judge  the  warlj 
by  Jesus  Christ  — '  all  nations  '  (Matt.  xxv.  £2.) 
And  this  is  given  as  a  reason  why  God  now  com» 
mandeth  all  men  everywhere  to  repent."  ^ 

The  day  referred  to  is  the  gospel  day  of  judgment, 
the  time  of  Christ's  government  on  earth  :  ''  a  king 
shall  reign  and  prosper,  and  shall  execute  judgment 
and  justice  in  the  eartliy  Jer,  xxiii.  5.  The  word 
"  day "  is  often  used  to  designate  the  period  ol 
Christ^s  rule,  as  in  Isaiah  xi.  6-9 :  '^  And  the  spirit 
of  the  Lord  shall  rest  upon  him^  the  spiint  of  wisdom 
and  understanding,  the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might  — 
and  with  righteousness  shall  he  judge  the  poor,  and 
reprove  with  equity  for  the  meek  of  the  earth- — and 
the  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard 
shall  lie  down  with  the  kid,  &c.,  for  the  earth  shall 
be  fidl  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  —  and  in  that 
day  there  shall  be  a  root  of  Jesse,  to  it  shall  the  Gen- 
tiles seek."  And  so  in  chapter  xxv.,  after  that  beau- 
tiful description  of  the  gospel  judgment  or  rule  end- 
ing with  the  words,  "  and  the  Lord  God  will  wipe 
away  tears  from  all  faces,"  then  follows  this ;  "  And 
in  that  day^  it  shall  be  said,  '  Lo,  this  is  our  God  ; 
we  have  waited  for  him,  and  he  will  save  us.'" 

These  are  beautiful  descriptions  of  the  day  in  which 
Christ  shall  reign  and  execute  judgment  in  the  earth; 
that  glorious  era  of  which  the  Saviour  speaks  % 
"  Abraham  rejoiced  to  sec  my  day^  and  saw  it,  (with 
the  eye  of  faitli.)  and  was  glad."     John  viii.  56. 

And  in  view  of  these  facts,  what  new  significance 
attaches  to  the  words  wdiich  he  uttered  when  he  en- 
tered on  his  appointed  mission — -"iVozo  is  the  judg- 


CHRIST  JUDGES  THE  WORLD.  257 

ment  of  this  world  ;  now  is  the  prince  of  this  world 
cast  out,"  (John  xii.)— i.  e.,  error  and  sin  (represent- 
ed under  the  figure  of  a  Prince  ruling  the  world,) 
are  now  to  be  cast  out  by  the  power  and  truth  of 
the  gospel,  and  the  judgment  or  reign  of  righteous- 
ness is  to  begin,  under  the  Prince  of  Peace,  whom 
God  hath  appointed  to  rule  the  world  in  equity. 

Accordingly,  we  find  Peter  (Acts  x.  42)  affirming 
that  he  and  his  fellow  disciples  were  "  commanded  to 
preach  unto  the  people,  and  testify  that  it  is  he  which 
was  ordained  of  God  to  be  Judge  of  the  quick  and 
dead"  —  i.  e.,  those  quickened  into  spiritual  life  by 
the  truth,  and  those  still  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins. 
And  as  to  the  time,  he  is  very  explicit  in  his  first 
Epistle,  (iv.  5,)  where  he  speaks  of  the  disobedient 
and  wicked  "  who  shall  give  account  to  him  that  is 
ready  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead."  Meady^ 
1800  years  ago  !  And  this  was  written  a  few  years 
only  before  that  opening  scene  described  in  Matt. 
XXV  —  when,  the  old  dispensation  abolished,  the  judg- 
ment or  government  of  the  new  dispensation  com- 
menced under  the  Lord  Christ. 

After  what  has  been  said  thus  far,  respecting  the 
time  of  the  judgment  by  Christ,  involving  as  it  does 
the  nature  of  it,  nothing  is  needed  in  regard  to  the 
where  ov  place  of  the  judgment.  Still,  a  few  testimo- 
nies may  be  put  in  here  to  confirm  the  argument  of 
time. 

We  saw  that  under  the  old  dispensation  God  is  de- 
clared to  be  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth.  Now 
we  may  repeat  of  the  place^  what  was  said  of  the  gen- 
eral principles  involved  in  the  divine  administration 
of  justice.     If  the  place  of  judgment  or  rule  was  to 


f58  THEOLOGY   OF  UNIYERSALTSM. 

be,  under  the  new  dispensation,  transferred  from  tins 
world  to  another,  surely  we  should  be  informed  of  it 
m  the  clearest  terms  in  the  very  beginning  of  the  new 
order  of  things.  But  here,  alsOy  profound  and  per- 
fect silence  is  maintained — not  a  word  in  regard  to 
it.  The  fair  conclusion  from  this  is,  that  no  chansfe 
was  inaugurated.  And  the  nature  of  the  judgment 
demonstrates  this,  as  well  as  direct  testimony. 

The  passage  once  before  cited^  is  to  this  point  t 
^'  Behold  the  days  shall  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I 
will  raise  unto  David  a  righteous  Branch,  and  a  King 
shall  reign  and  prosper,  and  shall" execute  Judgment 
and  justice  in  tlie  eartJi^  Jer.  xxiii.  5.  So  Isaiah 
xlii.  1-4 :  "  Behold  mine  elect.  I  have  put  my 
spirit  upon  him  i  he  shall  bring  forth  judgment  to^ 
the  Gentiles  (or  the  nations).  He  shall  not  cry,  nor 
lift  up,  nor  cause  his  voice  to  be  heard  in  the  streets  i 
he  shall  bring  forth  judgment  unto  truth.  He  shall 
not  fail  nor  be  discouraged,  till  he  have  set  judgment 
in  the  earthy  and  the  isles  shall  wait  for  his  law." 
And  the  Saviour  distinctly  says :  "  For  judgment  I 
am  come  into  this  world,"     John  ix.  39. 

And  this  is  the  thing  which  needs  to  be  believed 
of  all  men,  and  to  act  on  their  daily  life,  viz :  that 
the  judgment  of  Christ  is  present,  continuoxis,  and 
ever  operative.  It  is  not  confined  to  one  event,  aa 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem ;  but  extends  through 
the  entire  gospel  day^  rewarding  and  punishing  every 
man  according  to  his  works,  imtil  the  kingdom  is  re- 
turned to  God. 

Every  joy  of  the  good  man,  the  approval  of  con- 
science, the  security  of  obedience,  the  strength  of 
prayer,,  the  peace  of  virtue,  the  triumph  of  faith,  the 


CHRIST  JUr^GES  THE  WORLtJ.  259 

rdlowsliip  of  tlie  Holy  Spirit,  on  the  one  liand,  — 
and,  on  the  other,  every  woe  of  the  wicked,  the 
pangs  of  conscience,  the  sting  of  remorse,  the  agony 
of  fear,  the  perpetual  unrest  of  gnilt,  and  every  form 
of  evil  consequent  on  sin,  is,  each  in  itself,  a  prooi 
that  now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world  i  that  thia 
present  time  is  the  judgment  day  of  Christ,  "  the 
day,"  declared  of  Paul  (Rom.  ii.  16)  "  when  God 
ghall  judge  the  secrets  of  men  by  Jesus  Christ,  ac^ 
cording  to  the  gospel. ^^ 

And  this  point  the  reader  will  find  abundantly  il- 
lustrated and  confirmed,  in  the  chapter  on  the  Ee-* 
wards  of  Eighteousness,  and  the  Punishments  of  Sin^ 
which  follows  this.  He  will  see  how  the  moral  and 
spiritual  constitution  is  constructed  of  God,  with  ex« 
press  reference  to  this  continuous  judgment  of  "  the 
secrets  of  men ;  "  so  that  nothing  hidden  from  the 
world,  whether  good  or  evil,  can  fail  of  its  just  recom- 
pense before  the  universal  judge.  He  will  discover 
the  all-important  truth  that  man  carries  in  his  own 
goul,  his  heaven  or  his  hell,  accordingly  as  he  ia 
faithful  or  unfaithful,  righteous  or  wicked. 

And  this  brings  us  to  the  question  which  naturally 
finds  place  here,  which  the  preceding  facts  suggest 
.to  every  inquiring  mind :  How  does  Christ  judge 
the  world  in  accordance  with  the  views  set  forth  in 
this  argument  ?  Is  the  judgment  spiritual,  or  literal 
and  personal  V  Taking  the  Scriptures  as  guide,  we 
will  endeavor  to  answer  this  in  what  follows, 

§  11.  The  judgment  is  spirittcal,  and  not  literal;  or, 
in  other  words,  it  is  by  the  truth,  hy  the  Gospel,  and, 
7iot  in  person. 

That  this  is  the  case,  is   evident  alike  from  the  na^ 


ii  )0  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM. 

ture  of  tlie  judgment,  and  from  his  own  words.  The 
judgment  day,  as  we  have  seen,  is  the  time  of  the 
gospel  reign  on  earth,  yet  Christ  is  not  here  in  per- 
son. ^^JVow  is  the  judgment  of  this  world,"  he  says, 
and  yet  we  know  he  is  not  in  this  world  personally. 

It.  is  through  the  power  of  his  doctrines,  and  his 
divine  life,  that  he  is  judging  or  ruling  the  world,  ap- 
proving the  good,  and  condemning  the  bad  —  not  hy 
'personal  judgment. 

But  his  own  testimony  will  settle  this  question  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all :  "  If  any  man  hear  my  words, 
and  believe  not,  I  judge  him  not ;  for  I  came  not  to 
judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the  world.  He  that  re- 
jecteth  me,  and  receiveth  not  my  words,  hath  one 
that  judgeth  him  ;  the  word  that  I  have  spoken,  the 
eame  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day."  See  John  xii. 
46-50. 

That  is,  not  in  person,  of  my  own  authority,  but 
by  that  word  of  truth  and  righteousness,  that  gospel 
of  salvation,  which  I  received  of  the  Father.  This 
is  the  spiritual  law  and  power  by  which  every  man 
will  be  judged  in  the  last  day ;  i.  e.  the  gospel  day. 

The  "  last  day  "  is  applied  to  the  gospel  day,  be- 
cause the  Christian  dispensation  is  final,  to  be  suc- 
ceeded by  no  other  in  the  judgment  or  government 
of  the  world  ;  because  in  it  the  purpose  and  plan  of 
salvation  is  completed. 

In  this  judgment  day  of  the  gospel,  all  arc  to  ap- 
pear at  tlie  bar  of  truth,  and,  tried  by  the  word  of 
God  and  Christ,  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  their 
actions,  and  the  character  of  their  lives.  Paul  says  ; 
"  We  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of 
Christ,  that  every  one  may  receive  the  things  done  in 


CHRIST  JUDGES  THE  WORLD.  281 

Ms  body,  according  to  that  he  hath  done,  whether  it 
he  good  or  bad."  2  Cor.  y.  10.  Observe,  carefully, 
that  the  passage  says  we  are  to  receive  hotTi  for  the 
good  we  do,  and  for  the  had^  when  we  appear  at  the 
judgment  seat  of  Christ ;  but  do  those  who  believe 
in  a  future  general  judgment,  believe  also  that,  at 
that  time,  Paul  is  to  receive  for  his  evil,  as  well 
as  his  good  ;  for  his  persecutions,  as  well  as  his  mis- 
sionary labors  ?  And  are  sinners  also  to  receive  for 
their  good,  as  well  as  their  bad  ?  for  all  do  some 
good,  and  many  of  them  do  a  great  deal  in  the  years 
of  a  life  time. 

Now,  while  the  doctrine  of  a  future  general  judg- 
ment denies  this  manifest  teaching  of  the  passage, 
the  yiew  of  judgment  we  present,  provides  for  the 
very  thing  here  asserted,  viz :  that  every  one,  saint 
and  sinner,  shall  receive  for  both  the  good  and  bad 
done.  And  daily  observation  confirms  the  truth  of 
this  position.  Good  men  sometimes  do  wrong,  and 
suffer;  while  bad  men  sometimes  do  good,  and  are 
rewarded  for  it. 

The  expression  "judgment  seat,"  is  figurative ; 
just  as  we  often  say  "  the  bar  of  public  opinion,"  or 
*'  the  judgment  seat  of  conscience."  That  it  is  in 
this  world,  is  evident ;  for  the  prophet  distinctly  says, 
he  "  shall  execute  justice  and  judgment  in  the  earth,'''' 
Jer.  xxiii.  Of  course,  the  "judgment  seat  "  is  where 
he  executes  judgment — in  the  earth.  ' 

■  The  exposition  given  above  will  be  confirmed  by  reading  the  passage 
■ft'ithout  the  words  in  italics,  which  are  not  the  words  of  Paul,  but  of 
■>ur  translators,  who  supplied  them  to  make  out  what  they  thought  the 
sense  of  the  passage.  Leavijig  Ihcm  out,  the  verse  reads  thus  :  "  Wo 
must  all  appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ,  that  every  one  may 
receive  the  things  in   body,   according  to  that  which  he  hath  done, 


262  THEOLOGY    OF  UNIVEESALISM. 

In  tills  splrltnal  judgment  of  the  world  by  his 
truth  or  the  gospel,  the  Saviour  speaks  of  his  disci- 
ples as  being  associated  vrith  him  :  "  Yerily  I  say 
unto  you,  that  ye  which  have  followed  me  in  the  re- 
generation, (i.  e.  the  work  of  regenerating  or  renew- 
ing the  world  by  his  ti'uth,)  when  tlie  Son  of  man 
eliall  sit  on  the  throne  of  liis  glory,  (i.  e.  enter  on  his 
government  after  the  abolition  of  the  Law  dispensa- 
tion,) ye  also  shall  sit  on  twelve  thrones,  judging  the 
twelve  tribes  of  Israel."  "  By  the  apostles  sitting 
on  thrones  judging  the  tribes,"  says  M'Knight, 
"  may  be  understood  their  -ruling  the  Christian 
church  by  the  laws  of  the  gospel,  which  the  Master 
inspired  them  to  preach."  What  Christ  says,  there- 
fore, by  this  passage  is,  that  as  they  preached  his 
truth,  so  they  should  be  associated  with  him  in  the 
government  or  judgment  of  the  world  by  that  truth. 

Correspondent  to  this,  the  prophet  Daniel  (vii.  21, 
22,)  says  :  "  The  Ancient  of  Days  came,  and  judg- 
ment (rule)  was  given  to  the  saints  of  the  Most 
High  ;  and  the  time  came  that  the  saints  possessed 
the  kingdom.'''' 

So  Paul  says  (1  Cor.  vi.  1,)  "  Do  ye  not  know 
that  the  saints  shall  judge  the  world  ?  "  i.  e.  direct, 
regulate,  govern,  by  the  justice  and  holiness  of  their 
lives,  and  by  the  wisdom  of  their  teaching  and  doc- 
trine. So  all  good  men  reign  with  Christ,  judging  the 
world,  its  good  and  its  evil ;  encouraging  and  ap- 
proving the  one,  and  condemning  and  rebuking  the 
other. 

•\vbetlier  good  or  bad."  This  makes  quite  a  dificrcnt  thing  of  it,  and 
illustrates  the  very  argument  in  hand,  by  dechiring  that  we  must  re- 
ceive in  the  body  for  the  good  and  evil  we  have  done;  not  that  we  must 
rei-eivt  out  of  the  body,  for  the  things  that  we  have  done  in  the  body. 


CHRIST  JUDGES  THE  WORLD.  2G3 

I  come  now  in  conclusion,  to  speak  of  wliat,  per- 
haps, may  be  regarded  as  the  most  important  feature 
of  our  inquiry,  viz  : 

§  III.  The  End  and  Residts  of  Chrisfs  judgment 
of  the  world. 

The  day  of  judgment  began  with,  and  is  the  day 
of,  Christ's  mediatorial  reign  ;  and  it  will  end  when 
that  reign  is  finished,  and  the  kingdom  delivered  up 
to  the  Supreme  and  Universal  Sovereign  and  Lord. 

The  result  of  this  judgment,  or  reign  of  Christ, 
will  be  revealed  in  the  final  destruction  of  all  error 
and  sin,  and  of  every  evil  thing ;  in  the  restoration 
of  all  intelligences  to  God,  and  the  universal  preva- 
lence of  spiritual  harmony,  love,  and  holiness.  This 
is  the  grand  consummation,  when  Christ  "  shall  see  of 
the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  be  satisfied." 

To  this  prophets  and  apostles  continually  allude  ; 
and  of  this  glorious  issue.  Gospels,  and  Epistles,  and 
Apocalypse,  make  mention  in  glowing  phrase,  in 
words  of  beauty  and  of  power.  A  few  citations  will 
show  this. 

The  Saviour  himself  has,  with  singular  felicity,  as- 
sociated this  judgment  of  the  world  and  its  results, 
in  one  sentence.  "  Now,  is  the  judgment  of  this 
world;  now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast 
out :  and  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will 
draw  all  men  unto  me.  This  he  said,  signifying  what 
death  he  should  die."  John  xil.  32,  33.  Here  the 
connection  and  dependence  of  the  two  facts  or  truths, 
is  perfect.  Christ  says,  that  now  he  will  judge  or 
govern  the  world  by  his  truth  and  grace  ;  and  so 
govern  it  as  to  cast  out  the  spirit  of  disobedience  and 
sin,  \vhich,  as   a  prince  or  despot,  rules  in  the  hearta 


2(J4  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

of  men  ;  and  finally  througli  the  power  of  Ills  death 
on  the  cross,  the  po^Yer  of  his  atoning  love,  draw 
ALL  MEX  unto  him !  Such,  he  declares,  is  to  be  the 
result  of  his  judgment,  his  spiritual  rule  —  the  recon- 
ciliation of  all  souls  through  him,  to  God  !  Glorious, 
indeed. 

To  the  same  end  is  the  witness  of  Paul,  in  1  Cor. 
XV.  24-28.  "  For  he  must  reign  till  he  hath  put  all 
enemies  under  his  feet,  and  the  last  enemy  that  shall 
be  destroyed,  is  death,  ....  then  shall  the  Son  also 
liimselfbe  subject  to  him  that  put  all  things  under 
him,  that  God  may  be  all  in  alL"  Thus  we  see  that 
Christ  is  to  judge  or  rule  the  world,  until  every  ene- 
my of  man,  even  to  the  hist,  which  is  death,  is  de- 
stroyed. Then  shall  all  souls,  subdued  to  the  Sa- 
viour by  the  power  of  his  truth  and  love,  brought 
into  harmony  with  his  law  and  his  spirit,  acknowledge 
him  as  Lord  and  Eedeemer.  And  when  this  is  ac- 
complished, then,  no  longer  retaining  his  authority 
since  the  saving  purpose,  for  which  he  received  it,  is 
complete,  he  surrenders  the  kingdom  back  again  into 
the  hands  of  the  Father,  and  God  is  all  in  all ! 

It  is  very  pleasing  and  instructive  to  note  how  per- 
fectly the  Ancient  Universalist  Fathers  agree  with  us 
of  to  day,  ip  their  interpretation  of  this  and  other  im- 
portant passages  declarative  of  this  sublime  conclu- 
sion of  the  Saviour's  reign.  The  following,  on  the 
above  text,  (1  Cor.  xv.  22-28,)  will  illustrate  this. 
It  is  from  Gregory,  Bishop  of  Nyssa  (A.  D.  364) : 
"  What,  therefore,  is  the  scope  of  St.  Paul's  disserta- 
tion in  tliis  place  ?  That  the  nature  of  evil  shall  at 
length  be  wholly  exterminated,  and  divine,  immortal 
goodness   embrace  wiihin  itself  every  rational  crea- 


CHRIST  JUDGES  THE  WORLD.  205 

ture  ;  so  tliat  of  all  who  were  made  Ly  God,  not  one. 
ehall  be  excluded  from  bis  kingdom.  All  tbe  vicious- 
ness,  tbat  like  a  corrupt  matter  is  mingled  in  tilings, 
sbajl  be  dissolved  and  consumed  in  the  furnace  of 
purgatorial  fire  ;  and  everything  that  hath  its  origin 
from   God,  shall  be  restored  to  its  pristine   state  of 

purity When,   therefore,  the   dominion   of  sin 

within  us  shall  be  entirely  overthrown,  ever}  thing 
must,  of  course,  be  subject  to  him  who  rules  over  all ; 
because  there  can  be  no  opposing  inclinatic  n  in  the 
universe.  Now  subjection  to  God  is  perfect  and  ab- 
solute alienation  from  evil.  Wherefore,  when  we  all 
shall  be  freed  from  sin,  and  perfectly  assimilated  to 
Christ,  our  first  fruits,  and  made  one  uniform  body 
with  him,  then  what  is  called  the  subjection  of  Christ 
is,  in  reality,  accomplished  in  us ;  and  because  we 
are  his  body,  our  subjection  is  attributed  to  him  who 
effected  it  in  ourselves.  It  is  manifest  that  here  the 
apostle  declares  the  extinction  of  all  sin,  saying  that 
God  will  be  all  in  all.  For  God  will  be  truly  all  in 
all,  only  when  no  evil  shall  remain  in  the  nature  of 
things.^' 

Origen  (A.  D.  230,)  says,  on  the  same  passage  : 
"  What,  then,  is  that  subjection  with  wliich  all  things- 
must  be  subdued  to  Christ  ?  I  think  it  to  be  that  with 
■which  we  ourselves  desire  to  be  subdued  to  him  ;  and 
%vith  which  the  apostles,  and  all  the  saints  who  have 
followed  Christ,  have  been  subdued  to  him.  For  the 
very  expression,  subjected  to  Christ,  denotes  the  sal- 
vation of  those  who  arc  subjected;  as  David  says: 
'  Shall  not  my  soul  be  subjected  to  God  ?  for  from 
him  is  my  salvation.'  Ps.  Ixii.  1.  So  the  great  va- 
riety  of  characters,    and  different   orders   of  beinga 


26(3  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

which  now  exist,  will,  through  the  goodness  of  God, 
their  subjection  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  unity  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  be  finally  restored  to  one  and  the  same 
state."  1 

And  it  is  this  view  of  subjection  which  enables  us 
to  see  the  force  of  the  declaration  :  "  Wherefore  God 
liath  also  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name 
which  is  above  every  name  ;  that  at  the  name  of 
Jesus  every  hnee  should  how,  of  things  in  heaven,  and 
things  in  earth,  and  things  under  the  earth  ;  and  eve- 
ry tongue  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the 
glory  of  God  the  Father."     Phil.  ii.  9-11. 

What  a  witness  this,  to  the  beneficent  and  bliss- 
ful results  of  the  Saviour's  judgment  of  the  world 
by  the  word  of  his  truth,  and  the  spirit  of  his  right- 
eousness. How  should  all  men  rejoice  that  Jesus  is 
our  Judge,  our  Ruler,  our  Prince  ;  that  we  are  sub- 
ject to  his  authority,  and  that  finally,  with  songs  of 
gratitude  and  praise,  we  shall  be  subject  to  his  law  of 
holiness. 

SECTION      III. 

THE    JUDGMENT     AFTER     DEATH. 

The  object  of  the  apostle,  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews,  is  to  show  the  superiority  of  Christ  and  the 
Gospel,  over  Aaron  and  the  Law.  See  chapters  viii. 
and  ix.  11-14. 

In  these  passages,  and  in  many  others,  the  apostle 
shows  the  law  was  only  the  shadow  of  good  things 
to  come  ;  and  that  its  sacrifices,  which  were  only  for 

'  Tract,  in  dictum  Jlposioli,  "  Tunc  cliam  ipse  Filius  subjicere- 
lury"  4-c.;  and  Origen's  De  Principiis,  Lib.  i.  cap.  6. 


THE  JUDGMENT  AFTER  DEATH.       267 

a  tiinc,  were  set  aside  by  the  great  offering  of  the 
Universal  liedeemer. 

The  passage  In  review  (Ix.  27,  28,)  furnishes  one 
of  the  illustrations  or  arguments  on  this  head : 
"  And  as  It  Is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,  but 
after  tliis  the  judgment ;  so  Christ  was  once  olfcred  to 
bear  the  sins  of  many  ;  and  unto  them  that  look  for 
him  shall  appear  the  second  time  without  sin  unto 
salvation." 

1.  What  Men?  This  Is  usually  quoted  "all 
men  ;  ''  but  it  Is  not  all  men,  but  particular  men,  of 
whom  the  apostle  is  speaking.  Very  strangely,  if 
it  was  unintentional,  our  translators  have  left  un- 
translated, the  particularizing  or  demonstrative  word 
in  the  Greek,  though  elsewhere  they  have  rendered  it 
into  English.  The  same  word  occurs  in  chapter  vll. 
27,  and  is  translated  "  those  ; "  "  who  needeth  not 
daily,  as  those  high  priests,  to   offer  up  sacrifice." 

Now,  if  we  translate  the  same  word  in  the  same 
way.  In  the  passage  in  hand,  it  puts  a  new  face  upon 
it  at  once,  and  points  directly  to  its  true  interpretation. 
We  should  then  have  it  thus  :  "  As  it  is  appointed 
unto  THOSE  men  once  to  die,"  &c.  Now  then,  the 
question  comes  up  at  once.  What  men  ?  The  same, 
of  course,  that  he  has  been  talkino;  about  all  alono-. 
The  word  "  those  "  points  to  men  already  mentioned, 
the  very  men  named  in  the  passage  just  quoted  from 
chapter  vii.  —  "  those  high  priests  "  who  daily  offer- 
ed up  sacrifices  ;  and  in  ix.  6,  7,  25-28,  where  "  the 
high  priest  entered  Into  the  holy  place  every  year." 
Plainly,  the  reference  is  not  to  all  men,  but  to  those 
men  who  are  appointed  to  die  in  the  sacrifices,  "  with 
the   blood    cf   others  "  for   the   sins    of  the    people, 


238  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

"  every  year."  This  brings  us  to  the  next  point  of 
comparison,  which  will  abundantly  confirm  this  posi- 
tion. 

2.  What  death  ?  "  As  it  is  appointed  —  so  Christ 
was  once  offered."  The  comparison  here  is  general- 
ly overlooked,  and  yet  the  little  words  "  as "  and 
"  so,"  are  the  key  of  the  passage.  Surely,  all  men 
are  not  appointed  to  die  as  Christ  died,  a  sacrificG  for 
cin,  to  put  away  sin.  But  the  men  here  named,  did 
die  in  the  same  manner,  or  for  the  same  purpose, 
that  Christ  died  —  they  to  put  away  the  sin  of  the 
Jewish  nation,  and  he  to  put  away  the  sin  of  the 
world.  And  thus  as  these  high  priests  died,  so  Christ 
was  once  offered  to  bear  the  sin  of  many.  See  verses 
7,  25,  &c. 

The  superiority  of  Christ,  which  is  the  point  of 
the  argument,  is  shown  in  the  following  particulars  : 

1.  The  high  priest  sacrificed,  or  died,  by  the  blood 
of  bulls  and  goats  ;  but  Christ  by  his  own  blood  — 
one  fio^urative,  the  other  real. 

2.  The  high  priest  died  every  year ;  Christ  once 
for  all. 

3.  The  high  priest  died  for  one  nation  ;  Christ 
died  for  all  nations. 

Thus  was  demonstrated  the  superiority  of  Jesus, 
Ihe  high  priest  of  the  world,  over  the  high  priest  of 
the  Jews,  by  three  plain  and  conclusive  arguments. 

Z.  What  Judgment  ?  "  After  this  the  Judgment.''^ 
It  was  appointed  to  the  high  priest  to  die  sacrificially 
for  the  sins  of  the  people,  and  after  this  came  the 
judgment.  This  sacrifice  was  made  every  year,  on 
the  great  day  of  Atonement.  Of  this  let  us  read 
from  Leviticus  xvi.  29-34.     "  And  this  shall  be  a 


THE  JUDGMENT  AETEH  BEATS.       269 

Jtatute  for  ever  unto  you  :  that  in  the  seventh  month, 
on  the  tenth  day  of  the  month,  ye  shall  afflict  your 
souls,  and  do  no  work  at  all,  whether  it  be  one  of 
your  own  country,  or  a  stranger  that  sojourneth 
among  you  :  For  on  that  day  shall  the  priest  make 
an  atonement  for  you,  to  cleanse  you,  that  ye  may 
be  clean  from  all  your  sins  before  the  Lord.  And  the 
priest  whom  he  shall  anoint,  shall  put  on  the  linen 
clothes,  even  the  holy  garments  :  And  he  shall  make 
an  atonement  for  the  holy  sanctuary,  and  he  shall 
malvc  an  atonement  for  the  tabernacle  of  the  congrer 
ration,  and  for  the  altar  :  and  he  shall  make  an  atone- 
ment  for  the  priests,  and  for  all  the  people  of  the  con- 
gregation. And  this  shall  be  an  everlasting  statute 
unto  you,  to  make  an  atonement  for  the  children  of 
Israel  for  all  their  sins  once  a  year.  And  he  did  as 
the  Lord  commanded  Moses." 

Observe,  tlie  priest  is  to  put  on  "  the  Jioly  gar* 
merits,'"  What  are  these  ?  Let  us  read  from  Exodus 
xxviii.  4,  15,  17,  21,  29,  30.  "  And  these  are  the 
garments  which  they  shall  make  ;  a  breast-plate,  and 
an  ephod,  and  a  robe,  and  a  broidered  coat,  a  mitre, 
and  a  girdle  :  and  they  shall  make  holy  garments 
for  Aaron  thy  brother,  and  his  sons,  that  he  may 
minister  unto  men  in  the  priest's  office.  And  thou 
shalt  make  the  hreast-plate  of  judgmeont ;  and  Aaron 
shall  bear  the  names  of  the  children  of  Israel  in  the 
breast-plate  of  judgment  upon  his  heart,  when  ho 
goeth  in  unto  the  holy  place,  for  a  memorial  before 
the  Lord  continually.  And  thou  shalt  put  in  the 
breast  plate  of  judgment  the  Urim  and  the  Thummim  ; 
and  th^y  shall  be  upon  Aaron's  heart,  when  he  goeth 
in  before  the  Lord  ;  and  Aaron  shall  hear  the  judg^ 


270  TUEOLOGY    OiT    UNIVEHSALlSM. 

ment  of  the  children  of  Israel  upon  his  heart  heford 
the  Lord  continually'^ 

Now,  here  we  have  the  wliole  matter  of  Judgment 
before  us.  Of  course^  as  a  moment's  thought  would 
show,  after  an  atonement  had  been  made  for  all  the 
sins  of  the  people,  there  would  be  no  sense  in  a  judg- 
ment of  condemnation.  If,  after  the  death  of  the 
high  priest  for  the  atonement  or  reconciliation  of  the 
people,  they  were  still  to  be  condemned  in  judgment, 
what  was  the  use  of  his  death  or  sacrifice  ? 

The  very  object  of  the  death,  the  sacrifice  or  atone-* 
ment,  was  the  justification  of  the  people  before  God* 
Thereby  they  were  cleansed  from  all  their  legal  sins^ 
were  justified,  and  the  errors  and  sins  of  the  preced- 
ing year  were  put  aWay,  blotted  out,  forgiven  ;  and 
they  began  a  new  life  for  the  year  succeeding  the 
great  day  of  atonement. 

This  was  the  judgment  that  followed  the  death 
which  the  high  priests  of  the  Law  Were  appointed  to 
die  once  every  jQViV  —  a  judgment  of  Justification  —^ 
in  which  the  people  were  not  condemned,  but  ac- 
quitted :  "  For,"  as  it  is  written,  *'  he  shall  make  an 
atonement  for  the  holy  sanctuary,  for  the  tabernacle, 
and  for  the  altar ;  and  he  shall  make  an  atonement 
for  the  priests,  and /or  all  tJie  pcopU  of.  the  congrega-^ 
tion.  And  this  shall  be  an  everlasting  statute  unto 
you,  to  make  an  atonement  for  the  children  of  Isra(  1, 
for  all  their  sins,  once  a  year/'     Lev.  xvi. 

Can  anything  be  plainer  ?  Can  the  most  careless 
reader  mistake  the  purpose  and  result  of  this  judgment, 
after  the  death  of  the  high  priest  on  the  great  day  oi 
atonement  ?  *'  For  all  the  people  —  for  all  thcif 
sins," 


tnE  JUDGMEXT  AFTEK  DEATH.  271 

K'ow,  the  argument  of  tlie  apostle  is  tins  :  "  As 
it  was  appointed  to  the  high  priests  to  die  for  the 
justification  of  all  the  people  of  Israel^  so  Christ  was 
offered  or  died/b?'  all  the  viorlcl^'^  hence  his  superiori- 
ty. Of  course,  this  superiority  is  based  on  his  abso-^ 
lately  doing  for  the  world,  what  the  high  priest  did 
for  the  Jews.  This  is  an  important  point.  The  high 
priest  made  atotiement,  as  we  have  seen,  for  all  the 
congregation,  for  all  their  sins  j  and  he  actually  and 
legally  justified  all  for  whom  he  died  ? 

Now,  Christ  died  for  all  mankind,  and  if  all  man* 
kind  are  not  justified  or  delivered  from  all  their  sins^ 
then  he  is  not  only  not  superior^  but  absolutely  infe- 
rior to  the  Law  priests  ;  for  they  accomplished  all 
they  intended  to  by  their  death,  while  Christ  wholly, 
or  in  a  great  measure,  fails* 

Let  us  repeat  this,  for  it  is  the  pivot  on  which  the 
argument  turns :  The  high  priest  justified  from  sin, 
all  for  whom  he  died.  Now,  if  Christ  does  not  justi- 
fy all  for  whom  he  died,  then  there  is  no  superiority 
on  his  part.  For  how  many,  then,  did  he  die  ?  "  He 
tasted  death  for  every  man."  ''  He  gave  himself  a 
ransom  for  all."  Of  course,  then,  "  all,"  "  every 
man,"  must  be  justified  through  the  blood  of  Christ, 
or  he  is  inferior  to  the  high  priest  of  the  Law  ;  and 
so  the  very  point  of  the  apostle's  reasoning  is  blunt- 
ed, and  the  whole  argument  of  the  epistle  goes  to  the 
ground. 

But,  thanks  be  to  God,  the  apostle  is  right,  and  the 
death  of  Christ  is  not  a  failure.  It  is  certified  by 
John  (1  Epist.  i.)  that  "  the  blood  of  Christ  cleans- 
eth  us  from  all  sin ;  "  that  he  has  "  put  away  sin  by 
the  sacrifice  of  himself  j  "  and,  finally,   that   '' he  ia 


272  THEOLOGY  ov  uxiVehsalisji. 

the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  not  for  ours  onh% 
but  also  for  the  sins  of  the  Avhole  world  !  "  1  John 
ii.  2. 

This,  then,  is  the  judgment  after  death,  viz  :  the 
judgment  of  justification^  of  cleansing  and  redemption, 
which  Christ  procures  for  the  world  by  his  death,  by 
his  own  blood,  shed  for  the  remission  of  sin.  For 
*'  he  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us 
from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  good  works." 

And  as  the  people  waited  in  the  outer  coUi't  for  the 
appearance  of  the  high  priest,  who  came  forth,  on  the 
completion  of  the  sacrifice,  to  announce  to  them  that 
they  were  justified  before  the  Lord,  all  their  sins  be- 
ing blotted  out ;  so  the  apostle  represents  Christ  as 
appearing  a  second  time,  to  the  waiting  and  ^^xpect- 
ant  world,  "  without  sin  unto  salvation."  The  word 
rendered  "  sin  "  here,  means  "  sin-offering."  After 
his  atoning  sacrifice,  he  comes  "  without  a  sin  offer- 
ins:,"  because  no  more  is  needed,  since  his  "  blood 
cleanseth  us  from  all  sin;"  he  comes  "unto  salva- 
tion," to  bring  salvation  to  the  world  looking  for  him 
as  the  great  Deliverer,  who  is  to  lead  them  to  the  joy 
that  is  within  the  veil,  whither  he,  as  our  forerunner, 
hath  entered  for  us.  And  so  the  judgment  after 
death  is  only  another  confirmation  of  the  universal 
justification  and  redemption  in  Christ. 


CHAPTER     VIII. 

OF    EEWARDS    AND     PUNISHMENTS. 

SECTION     I. 

THE  REWARDS   OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

Those  who  have  truly  known  the  joys  of  experi- 
mental religion,  the  sweet  peace  of  believing  in  Jesus 
and  trusting  in  God,  will  scarcely  require  any  instruc- 
tion as  to  what  constitutes  the  proper  rewards  of  faith, 
and  love,  and  obedience,  of  holiness  and  true  piety. 
They  have  the  testimony  in  their  own  souls,  and  fully 
understand  those  sayings  of  the  Master  :  "  The  king- 
dom of  God  is  within  you  ;"  "  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  the  joy  of  the 
Holy  Spirit."  Such  as  these  expect  no  reward  for' 
living  a  Christian  Hfe,  but  the  supreme  blessedness  of 
the  life  itself.  They  are  grateful  to  God,  that  he  has 
"  delivered  them  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and 
translated  them  into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son,  in 
whom  they  have  redemption  through  his  blood,  even 
the  forgiveness  of  sins  ;  "  (Col.  i.,)  and  they  look 
forward  to  the  bliss  of  the  life  immortal,  as  the  "  free 
gift  of  God,"  and  not  as  anything  to  which  they  are 
entitled  by  faith,  or  by  obedience  to  that  divine  law 
made  for  their  own  good,  and  in  the  keeping  of  which 
there  is  great  reward. 

But  there  are  those  who  need  instruction  on  this 


274  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM.      , 

point ;  and  it  is  important  that  tliey  slioulcT  be  led  to 
review  tlic  whole  question  of  Eighteousness  and  its 
Eewards  ;  both  from  the  stand  point  of  the  inner  life 
of  tlie  soul,  and  from  the  direct  teachings  of  Revela- 
tion. It  is  needful  that  they  should  become  acquaint- 
ed with  the  laws  of  our  moral  and  spiritual  nature, 
and  the  manner  in  which  these  work  out  their  results 
in  the  daily  experiences  of  life.  Let  us,  then,  pro- 
ceed to  investigate  this  all-important  subject,  reve- 
rently, and  with  a  prayer  that  we  may  be  enlightened 
from  above  as  to  the  thin<]!;s  which  belono;  to  our 
peace. 

Through  all  nature,  this  law  prevails,  in  every  de- 
partment of  human  life  and  action  —  the  thing  done, 
the  thought  we  cherish,  what  we  are  in  ourselves  — 
that  is  our  reward  or  our  punishment,  our  heaven  or 
our  hell. 

If  a  noble  impulse,  or  a  generous  sentiment,  or  a 
Christian  sympathy,  come  to  a  man,  and  he  opens  his 
heart  to  them  with  earnest  welcome,  and  rejoices  in 
their  company,  and  gladly  gives  them  room  and  en- 
tertainment, he  asks  no  reward  for  this  ;  for  he  is  the 
gainer  immensely  by  their  coming.  They  bring  their 
blessing  with  them  ;  they  make  a  heaven  for  him  in 
his  own  soul ;  and  the  longer  they  remain  with  him, 
the  more  he  sees  that  he  gives  nothing  and  receives 
all. 

This  holy  thought,  this  generous  feeling,  has  made 
all  witliin  him  bright,  beautiful,  and  blessed  ;  and  if 
there  be  anything  due,  it  is  from  him,  not  to  him. 
He  has  no  claim  of  reward  to  set  up  for  having  en- 
tertained this  heavenly  guest.  The  balance  is  against 
him  ;  for  he  was  infinitely  richer  than  before  it  came, 
and  ho  will  be  poor  cnoufrh  when  it  leaves  him. 


THE    REWAPvOS    OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS,  2lb 

"  Jesus  answered,  and  said,  If  a  man  love  me,  lie 
will  keep  my  words  ;  and  my  Father  will  love  hvn, 
and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with 
him."  John  xiv.  23.  Who,  in  such  case,  gains 
most ;  the  man,  or  God  and  the  Saviour  ?  And  what 
man  is  he,  who,  if  these  will  come  to  take  up  their 
abode  with  him,  would  think,  therefore,  that  he  ought 
to  be  paid  for  entertaining  them  ?  that  he  ought  to 
have  reward  for  giving  them  room  in  his  soul  ?  Who, 
if  God  should  come  to  dwell  with  him,  would  not  feel 
that  this,  in  itself,  was  reward  enough,  heaven 
enough  ? 

How  little,  then,  can  they  understand  the  true 
spirit  of  religion,  or  the  nature  of  holiness  and  right- 
eousness, who  look  outside  of  these  for  their  reward  ; 
who  expect  to  be  paid  hereafter  for  opening  the  heart 
for  the  incoming  of  the  Holy  Spirit  here  !  ^  They 
seem  not  to  comprehend  this  matter  at  all.  As  stat- 
ed, the  thing  done  is  its  own  reward,  there  is  no 
other  ;  and  properly  and  logically,  there  can  be  no 
other.  And  the  principle  involved  in  this  statement, 
rules  throughout  the  physical,  social,  moral,  and  reli- 

'  Though  this  presentation  of  the  doctrine  may  be  denied  in  words, 
yet  substantially  this  is  it :  If  you  are  good,  if  you  will  love  and  obey 
God  here,  you  shall  go  to  heaven  when  you  die;  but,  if  you  do  not,  you 
shall  go  to  hell.  What  else  is  this  but  making  heaven  hereafter,  there- 
ward  of  goodness  here  ?  What  more  can  be  made  of  it  ?  Stuart 
Mill,  in  his  Essay  on  Liberty,  says,  with  great  truth:  "  Our  popular 
religious  ethics,  by  holding  out  the  hope  of  heaven  and  the  threat  of 
hell,  as  the  appointed  and  appropriate  motives  to  a  virtuous  life,  fall 
far  below  the  best  of  the  ancients,  and  do  what  they  can  to  give  to  hu- 
man morality  an  essentially  selfish  character :  and  there  is  even  now 
resulting  a  low,  abject,  servile  typo  of  character,  Avhich,  submit  itselt 
as  it  m-iy  to  what  it  deem.s  the  Supreme  will,  is  incapable  of  rising  to 
wr  sympathizing  in  the  conception  of  Supreme  Goodness." 


27 G  THEOLOGY   OF   UXIVERSALISM. 

gious  worlds.     It  prevails  in  all  human  action  and 
experience. 

For  the  sake  of  giving  a  pergonal  direction  and 
force  to  the  argument,  let  me  address  myself  directly 
to  the  reader  :  You  are  sick  ;  the  hot  blood  runa 
riot  in  your  veins,  the  fever  is  burning  within  you,  and, 
like  a  fire,  is  consuming  the  life  within.  A  kind  and 
skilful  physician  comes  in,  administers  his  medicine, 
carefully  watches  over  you  by  day  and  by  night,  and 
at  last  restores  you  to  health  again.  Now,  do  you 
send  in  your  bill  to  him,  or  does  he  send  in  his  bill  to 
you  ?  Do  you  expect  to  be  paid  for  taking  the  medi- 
cine, for  being  cured  ?  or  do  you  expect  to  pay  him  ? 
Let  us  apply  this  illustration. 

We  are  morally  and  spiritually  diseased :  God 
furnishes  us  the  means  of  recovery,  and  finally  re- 
stores us  again,  through  Christ,  to  the  health  and 
streno;th  of  a  riofhteous  life.  Where  is  the  debt  here  ? 
What  reward  shall  we  have  for  this  ?  Shall  we  turn 
round  upon  our  heavenly  benefactor,  the  great  Physi- 
cian of  souls,  and  demand  a  reward  for  having  allow- 
ed him  to  restore  us  and  save  us  ?  for  having  receiv- 
ed, at  his  hands,  the  gift  of  spiritual  health,  and  all 
the  inestimable  blessings  it  brings  with  it  ?  What 
could  be  more  monstrously  ungrateful  ? 

Let  us  take  another  illustration.  Suppose  a  trav- 
eller comes  to  your  doer  in  a  dark  and  stormy  night, 
tells  you  that  he  is  lost,  that  he  is  cold  and  hungry, 
and  nearly  perished  from  long  exposure  ;  and  he  begs 
you  to  give  him  shelter  and  food.  You  take  him  in, 
feed  him  and  warm  him  ;  and  on  the  morrow  you  go 
with  him,  show  him  the  way  to  the  high  road,  and 
give  him  a  map  of  the  country  by  which  he  can  make 
the  rest  of  his  journey  in  safety. 


THE    nEWAP.DS    OF  RIGIITEOUSXESS.  J>ii 

Suppose,  after  a  few  days  or  weeks,  this  man  re- 
turns and  demands  of  jou  a  reward  for  having  en- 
tered your  house,  warmed  himself  at  your  fire^  eaten 
of  your  food,  and  finally  for  having  followed  your 
directions,  using  your  chart,  until  he  had  made  his 
way  to  the  place  he  sought !  What  would  you  say 
to  such  a  creature  as  this?  Could  any  language  ex- 
press the  absurdity  of  his  demand. 

Were  not  the  shelter,  the  food  that  staid  his  hun  - 
ger,  tlie  kind  regard  you  showed  him,  your  map  and 
guidance  —  Avere  not  these  a  blessing  to  him,  safety, 
life  and  deliverance?  Did  he  not  find  in  these,  all 
tliat  a  sane  man  could  ask  ?  And  could  he  not  see 
that  the  obligation  was  all  on  his  side  —  and  that  ii 
either  party  was  to  be  paid,  it  was  you,  and  not  he  ? 

AYell,  this  supposed  case  represents  exactly  the 
condition  of  mankind  —  they  are  lost,  they  are  out 
in  the  wilderness,  cold  and  starving  for  the  bread  oi 
life.  And  God  mercifully  looks  on  their  pitiful  con- 
dition, sends  Christ  to  show  them  the  way  of  life  and 
deliverance,  feeds  them  v/ith  the  bread  of  heaven, 
gives  them  the  Bible  as  a  map  of  direction,  and  sends 
ihem  on  their  way  rejoicing.  Now,  when  they  have 
oaten  of  the  heavenly  manna,  when  they  have  read 
die  Bible  and  rejoiced  in  its  truth,  and  found  the  way 
of  life  and  peace,  shall  they  be  so  utterly  dead  to  all 
gratitude,  so  blinded  in  mind  and  heart,  as  to  turn 
round,  and  demand  that  thei7^  goodness  in  accepting 
those  mercies,  shall  be  rewarded  with  the  infinite 
glories  of  the  immortal  world  I 

These  illustrations  will  help  to  show  the  thought- 
Pid  how  impossible  it  is  to  separate  righteousness 
from  its  revrards;  to  show  that  if  we   do  not  find  our 


iJ<»  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

reward  in  repentance  and  reformation,  in  forsaking 
our  sins,  in  being  good,  in  loving  God,  in  holiness  of 
spirit,  in  charity  and  purity,  in  obedience  to  the 
divine  commands  —  then  there  is  no  reward  for  us, 
neither  here  nor  hereafter. 

But  this  expectation  of  future  rewards  seems  to  be 
the  result  of  generalizing  too  loosely  on  the  subject, 
A  little  analysis  of  the  claim,  or  of  its  foundations, 
will  discover  how  groundless  it  is.  Let  me  solicit 
the  attention  of  the  reader  to  one  or  two  particulars. 

You  have  visited  a  sick  sufferer,  and  cheered  him 
by  your  sympathy,  and  comforted  him  in  his  sor- 
rows —  or  you  have  given  food  to  a  hungry  family, 
and  brought  joy  into  their  desolate  home  —  or  you 
have  reclaimed  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  ways, 
and  made  him  a  useful  abd  happy  man.  Now,  is  it 
on  either  of  these  acts  of  goodness  that  you  found 
your  expectation  of  heaven?     Of  coui-se  not. 

Then  If  not  upon  this  particular  act,  on  which  one, 
or  on  Avhat  number  of  them  put  together,  do  you 
found  it?  Where  does  the  claim  begin?  If  one 
deed  of  mercy  does  not  entitle  you  to  immortal  life 
and  joy,  how  many  will  ?  Beside,  how  can  any  num- 
ber of  finite  acts  reach  the  measure  of  an  infinite  re- 
ward? 

But  aside  from  this,  did  you  find  no  joy  in  the 
deed  itself?  The  look  of  gratitude,  the  trembling 
words  of  thankfulness,  the  blessedness  you  imparted, 
the  deliverance  you  had  wrought  out  —  were  not 
these  your  reward  ?  Has  not  the  memory  of  them 
made  pleasant  music  In  your  lieart  ever  since  ?  And 
have  you  not  realized  the  truth  of  the  declaration, 
that  "the  e^ood  man  shall  be  satisfied  from  himself"? 


THE   REWARDS    OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS.  279 

Prov.  xiv.  14.  And  also  of  those  divine  words  of 
Je^us,  "  Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  you ;  good 
measure,  pressed  down,  and  shaken  together,  and 
running  over,  shall  men  give  into  your  bosoms." 
Luke  yi.  38.  Assuredly  ;  for  this  is  the  universal 
law. 

But  lest  it  be  said,  these  examples  are  all  from  the 
objective  side,  or  mere  morality,  let  us  turn  to  the 
subjective  sphere  of  religion,  or  to  the  personal  ex- 
perience of  the  Christian,  examples  of  devotion  and 
piety. 

1.  Prayer,  In  the  midst  of  some  sore  affliction 
you  have  prayed  to  God,  earnestly,  fervently,  with  a 
devout,  trusting,  loving  heart  — the  heavens  open 
above  you,  as  you  are  lifted  up  on  the  wings  of  sup- 
plication ;  your  spiritual  vision  grows  clearer  every 
moment;  God  seems  near  to  you,  your  spint  goes 
forth  to  meet  him  ;  the  joy,  the  bliss  of  communion 
and  heavenly  fellowship  is  yours,  and  peace  and 
strength  divine  have*  found  place  in  your  heart. 
This  is  prayer,  this  is  worship,  such  as  the  angels 
know. 

And  now  do  you  rise  up  from  this  fervent  and 
blessed  ]3rayer,  and  expect,  or  desire,  or  even  tiiink 
of,  a  future  reward  for  it  ?  But  if  not  for  this  one, 
then  for  what  one  ?  —  for  how  many  ?  If  this  prayer 
is  its  own  reward,  its  own  heaven,  so  is  every  other. 
All  prayer  is  the  same  ;  all  true  devotion  and  wor- 
ship are  the  same.  If  one  act  rewards  itself,  then  a 
thousand  will  do  the  same.  If  one  constitutes  no 
claim  to  eternal  glory,  then  a  thousand  will  not.  The 
same  holy  joy  which  makes  the  prayer  of  to-day  a 
blessing  in  itself,  will  make  every  prayer  of  the  long- 


280  THEOLOGY    OF   UXIVERSALISM. 

est  life  an  equal  blessing  ;  and  so  the  claim  of  future 
reward  will  have  no  point  of  beginning. 

And  this  present  answer  to  prayer,  this  blessing 
born  of  the  spirit  of  communion,  is  recognized  by  all 
the  saints  of  old.  "  I  called  upon  the  Lord  in  mj 
distress :  the  Lord  answered  me,  and  set  me  in  a 
large  place."  "I  sought  the  Lord,  and  he  deliv- 
ered me  from  all  my  fears."  "  O  Lord  God,  I  cried 
unto  thee,  and  thou  hast  healed  me."  "  The  righteous 
cry,  and  the  Lord  heareth,  and  deliver eth  them  out  of 
all  their  troubles."  "  In  the  day  when  I  cried,  thou 
answcredst  me,  and  strengthenedst  me  with  strength 
in  my  soul."  Psalms,  everywdiere.  "  For  every  one 
that  asketh,  rcceweth^  and  he  that  seeketh,  findeth^ 
and  to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be  opened."  Matt, 
vii.  "  And  whatsoever  we  ask,  we  receive  of  him, 
because  we  keep  his  commandments,  and  do  those 
things  which  are  pleasing  in  his  sight."     1  John  iii. 

2.  Faith.  And  does  not  faith  also  bring  its  re- 
ward along  with  it  ?  We  have  been  long  wandering 
in  doubt,  in  the  darkness  of  unbelief,  filled  with  that 
"  fear  which  hath  torment."  But  at  last  the  Spirit  of 
Truth  moves  upon  the  darkened  soul,  sanctifying  the 
word  of  life  to  its  needs,  and  kindling  within  it  the 
liixlit  of  faith  and  trust.  Now^  we  believe — believe 
in  God  as  the  beneficent  and  loving  Father,  ever 
liolding  us  in  the  arms  of  his  mercy;  directing  all  our 
affairs,  our  joys  and  sorrows,  the  good  and  the  evil 
of  our  lot,  to  gracious  results ;  following  us  in  his 
evcrlastlnix  kindness  throuoh  this  world,  throuij^h  all 
worlds  beyond,  with  his  paternal  blessing,  and  finally 
crowning  us  with  immortal  joys  —  we  believe  in  the 
Lord  Jesus   Christ   as    the   Son   of  God,  the  good 


THE   REWARDS  Oi'   RIGHTEOUSNESS.  281 

Sliepherd  who  gave  his  life  for  the  sheep ;  as  tho 
lYay,  the  Life  and  the  Truth,  the  Saviour  of  the 
work!,  who  gave  himself  for  our  sins,  "  that  he  might 
deliver  us  from  this  present  evil  world,"  and  accom- 
plish our  translation  "  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
children  of  God." 

Thus  believing,  thus  delivered,  comforted  and  rejoic- 
ing, do  Ave  demand  or  wish  for  any  other  reward  than 
this  very  blessedness  of  faith  itself?  Do  we  not  see 
how  he  who  believeth  is  saved,  entereth  into  rest,  into , 
that  heaven  of  serenest  peace  and  trust  ever  open  to' 
the  believer  ?  There  is  no  reward  for  believing  in 
God  and  Christ  but  what  is  inherent  in,  inseparable 
from,  the  belief  itself.  Faith  is  the  tree  of  life,  and 
strength  and  peace  and  joy  ineffable,  are  the  fruit  of 
it ;  and  you  can  no  more  put  faith  in  this  world,  and 
its  rewards  in  the  next,  than  you  can  plant  the  tree 
in  one  country  and  gather  the  fruit  in  another. 

And  on  this  point,  also,  the  Bible  is  explicit,  that 
faith  is  its  own  reward,  its  own  joy.  "  Thou  wilt 
keep  him  in  •perfeat  i:ieace^  whose  mind  is  stayed 
on  thee,  because  he  trusteth  in  thee."  Isa.  xxvi. 
"  Blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  the  Lord." 
Jer.  xvii.  "  Therefore,  heing  justified  by  faith,  we 
have  peace  with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
Horn.  iv.  "  So  then,  they  which  be  of  faith  are 
blessed  with  faithful  Abraham."  2  Cor.  i.  "For 
by  grace  are  ye  saved,  through  faith."  Eph.  ii.  "  We 
that  have  believed  do  enter  into  rest."  Heb.  iv. 
"  Xow  the  God  of  hope  fill  you  with  all  joy  and 
peace  in  believing^  that  ye  may  abound  in  hope 
through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Eom.  xiv. 
«' Verily  I  say  unto   you,  he  that  believeth   on  me 


282  THEOLOGY  OF  UXIVEKSALISM. 

hath  everlasting  live."  John  vi.  47.  "  Believing, 
ye  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,  re- 
ceiving the  end  of  your  faith,  even  the  sahation  of 
your  souls.^^  1  Pet.  i.  8,  9.  Hejoicing,  not  shall  re- 
joice hereafter  ;  receiving  the  salvation  of  your  souls, 
not  after  death,  but  now,  as  the  fruitage  and  end  of 
your  faith.  Faith  creates  its  own  heaven  in  the  soul 
of  the  true  believer  5  and  he  never  thinks  of  Avaiting 
for  it  till  he  dies. 

3.  Ijove,  And  what  reward  does  the  Christian 
ask  for  loving  God  ?  Any  attempt  to  answer  this  in 
a  way  to  make  the  reward  additional  to  the  love 
itself,  will  show  how  difficulty  as  well  as  absurd,  it  is. 
Consider  for  a  moment  how  strange  and  unnatural  it 
would  be  to  offer  a  mother  a  rich  reward  of  gold, 
fine  houses  and  dresses,  for  loving  her  children !  Can 
we  think  of  anything  betraying  greater  ignorance  of 
the  real  nature  of  love,  of  true  affection  ? 

But  this  is  exactly  the  thing  the  creeds  of  the  day 
represent  God  as  doing  — as  offering  the  reward  of 
future  honor  and  glory  to  men,  if  they  will  only  love 
and  honor  him  here.  And  yet  a  moment's  thought 
would  show  that  either  it  is  wholly  unnecessary,  or 
the  thing  required  is  wholly  impossible. 

If  God  be  infinitely  lovely  and  loveable,  and  we 
see  this  and  feel  it,  then  it  is  unnecessary ;  for  we 
shall  be  drawn  to  him,  and  love  him,  not  for  any 
future  heaven,  but  because  we  cannot  help  it  —  by 
the  same  law  which  binds  our  hearts  to  our  parents, 
or  that  of  the  mother  to  her  child.  And  the  reward 
is  in  the  peace  and  joy  of  loving.  Love  is  its  own 
heaven,  and  is  satisfied  in  and  of  itself. 

But  if  God  be  infinitely  cruel  and  hateful  and  hat- 


THE   REWARDS    OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS.  283 

ing,  then  the  thing  required,  the  thing  for  which  ho 
offers  the  reward,  is  impossible.  We  cannot  love 
him  —  not  the  terrors  of  a  thousand  hells  can  drive, 
not  the  rewards  of  a  thousand  heavens  can  bribe, 
the  heart  into  a  single  pulse  of  true  affection.  It 
must  come  freely,  or  not  at  all  5  and  it  can  only  come 
freely  when  there  is  something  to  attract  it,  to  call  it 
into  life.  And  then  it  is  filled  with  its  own  fulness  of 
joy,  and  asks  nothing  more ;  and  you  cannot  make  a 
heaven  for  it  outside  of  itself. 

Finally,  let  us  ask  the  question.  What  do  we  mean 
by  heaven  ?  Is  it  not  a  state  of  perfect  holiness  and 
love,  of  constant  communion  with  God  ? 

But  if  holiness  and  love  and  communion  with  God, 
are  not  their  own  reward  here,  why  should  they  be 
hereafter?  They  are  the  same  in  their  nature  and 
effects  everywhere  ;  and  if  we  are  to  be  rewarded  in 
heaven  for  our  holiness  and  worship  on  earth,  where 
are  we  to  be  rewarded  for  the  holiness  and  worship 
of  heaven?  What  can  God  give  us  there  for  being 
holy  and  loving  him  ?  Nothing  but  the  joy  and  bliss 
of  being  holy  and  loving  with  all  the  soul  I  But  that 
we  can  have  here  ;  and  the  only  difference  between 
the  heaven  of  the  Christian  here  and  hereafter  is  in 
quantity,  not  in  quality.  Here  we  see  through  a 
glass  darkly  5  there,  face  to  face.  Here  we  bear  the 
image  of  the  earthy ;  there  we  shall  be  in  the  image 
of  the  heavenly.  Here  everything  is  imperfect ; 
there  everything  is  perfect. 

The  simple  truth  is,  the  sincere  Christian  asks  no 
reward  but  the  peace,  the  holy  trust,  the  communion 
with  God,  the  calm  and  abiding  blessedness,  which 
he  finds  in  being  a  Christian,     With  this   he  is  con- 


2"8i  TIIEOLOGT    OF   UNIVERSALTS3I. 

tent,  and  looking  forward  to  the  infiiiite  beauty  an'd 
glory  of  the  immortal  life,  he  expects  it  not  as  wages^ 
not  as  a  reward,  but  as  the  gift  of  God's  great  love, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

And  tliroughout  the  Bible  this  presentation  of  the 
case  prevails.  In  addition  to  the  texts  already  cited^ 
under  special  heads,  consider  the  following  from 
among  thousands  showing  the  present  reward  and 
heaven  of  the  soul  truly  united  to  God  and  Christ 
in  faith  and  obedience.  "  Great  peace  Jia'oe  they 
that  love  thy  law."  "  Wisdom's  ways  are  ways  of 
pleasantness,  and  all  her  puths  are  peace."  "  In 
Iceeping  thy  commandments  there  is  great  reward." 
"  He  that  worketh  righteousness  shall  oiever  be 
moved."  "  Blessed  are  they  that  keep  judgment, 
and  lie  that  doeth  righteousness  at  all  times."  "  In 
the  way  of  rigliteousness  is  life^  and  in  the  pathway 
tliereaf  is  no  death."  '^Blessed  is  the  man  that 
trusteth  in  the  Lord."  "  God  is  a  rewarder  of  them 
that  diligently  seek  liim."  "  Eighteousness  and  peace 
have  kissed  each  other,"  —  i.  e.,  are  intimately  and 
closely  united  as  laving  friends.  "All  things  worh 
together  far  good  to  them  that  love  God."  "He 
that  followeth  after  righteousness,  findeth  life  and 
honor."  "  The  steps  of  the  good  man  are  ordered  by 
the  Lord."  "God  giveth  to  a  man  that  which  is  good 
in  his  sight,  wisdom  and  knowledge  and  joy."  "  He 
that  keepeth  the  law,  happy  is  he."  "Be  careful  to 
maintain  good  works,  for  these  things  are  good  and 
profitable  unto  men."  "  Unto  thee,  O  Lord,  belong- 
eth  mercy ;  for  thou  renderest  to  every  man  accord- 
ing to  his  work."  "  The  fruit  of  the  spirit  is  love, 
joy,  peace/'     "Neither  shall  they  say,  lo  here  !   or  lo 


THE    LAW  AND  ITS    PENALTIES,  285 

there !    for  behold,   the  hingdom  of  God  is  within 
youP 

SECTION       II. 

THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  SIN  —  THE  LAW   AND  ITS  PENALTIES. 

In  the  discussion  of  this  subject,  we  start  with  the 
fundamental  truth  of  Christian  Theology,  that  God 
is  a  Being  of  infinite  goodness  ;  or,  as  John  says, 
"  God  is  Love."  Out  of  this  comes  the  law,  out  ok 
this  come  all  penalties  and  punishments,  with  this 
they  must  harmonize,  and  into  this,  at  last,  they  must 
all  be  resolved. 

God  is,  also,  possessed  of  infinite  knowledge,  and 
sees  what  is  in  the  hearts  of  all  men.  He  knows, 
therefore,  the  actual  condition  of  every  soul,  and  the 
exact  amount  of  punishment  needed  in  every  instance 
for  the  correction  of  the  evil.  So  much  he  inflicts, 
and  no  more,  being  governed  entirely  by  the  moral 
need  of  the  transgressor.  If  one  needs  ten  stripes, 
they  are  given ;  if  another,  for  the  same  offence,  is 
subdued  into  repentance  by  ^nq  stripes,  only  ^"^Q  are 
inflicted.  The  same  end  is  gained  in  both  cases, 
though  the  amount  of  punishment  differs. 

And  now,  to  have  the  subject  fairly  before  us,  let 
■us  fall  back  on  first  principles,  and  ask, 

§  I.  What  is  the  object  of  the  law  f  Why  did 
God  institute  any  government  at  all  over  man  ?  Why 
did  he  not  leave  us  to  go  our  own  way  ?  What  spe- 
cific object  had  God  in  view  in  making  laws,  and  af- 
fixing penalties  to  them  ? 

These  are  important  questions,  and  they  go  to  the 
root  of  the  matter.  Some  object  was  aimed  at  by 
this  arrangement.     God  does  not  act  without  a  pur- 


286  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISlf, 

pose.  He  must  have  designed  to  accompllsli  some 
special  end  by  this  net  work  of  laws  and  penalties  | 
and  we  can  only  understand  the  philosophy  of  pun- 
ishment, by  understanding  what  the  end  aimed  at  is. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  God  did  not  establish  the  pre- 
sent  order  of  things  for  his  own  benefit ;  that  he  did 
not  command  us  to  do  this,  or  to  do  that,  for  his  own 
sake,  because  he  expected  to  derive  any  benefit  from 
it.  He  is  perfect  in  himself,  filled  with  his  own  ful- 
ness. 

So  it  is  safe,  also,  to  say  he  does  not  forbid  us  do- 
ing anything,  through  fear  of  any  injury  or  inconve- 
nience he  may  suffer  from  it.  He  gains  nothing  by 
our  obedience  —  he  suffers  nothing  by  our  disobe- 
dience. 

This  is  a  very  important  point  in  our  discussion  of 
the  question  ;  because  most  of  the  Christian  world 
reason  as  if  they  thought  they  were  doing  God  ser- 
vice by  keeping  his  commandments,  and  were,  there- 
fore y  entitled  to  some  reward  ;  while  the  sinner,  by 
his  transgression,,  had  inflicted  a  grievous  wrong  on 
the  Almighty,  and  for  this  reason  deserved  punish- 
ment. 

But  this  cannot  be  allowed  for  a  moment.  God  is 
lifted  infinitely  above  all  we  can  do.  He  is  neither 
benefited  by  our  righteousness,  nor  injured  by  our 
sins.  How  forcibly  the  Scriptures  state  this  point : 
"  Look  unto  the  heavens,  and  see  ;  and  behold  the 
clouds,  which  are  higher  than  thou.  If  tliou  sinnest, 
what  doest.thou  against  him?  or,  if  thy  transgres- 
sions be  multiplied,  what  doest  thou  unto  him  ? 
And  if  thou  be  righteous,  what  givest  thou  liim.  ? 
or  what  receiveth  he  of  thine  hand  ?     Thy  wicked- 


THE   LAW  AND  ITS    PENALTIES.  281 

oess  may  hurt  a  man  as  thou  art ;  and  thy  righteouti- 
Siess  may  profit  the  son  of  man."     Job.  xxxv. 

The  Law,  then,  is  enacted  for  the  benefit  of  man. 
Obedience  profits  him ;  disobedience  injures  him. 
God  acts  in  the  matter  as  an  all- wise  and  loving  pa- 
rent, who  seeks  the  interests  and  happiness  of  his 
children.  He  knows  what  is  for  their  good  ;  he 
knows  that  g^oodness  and  righteousness  will  secure 
their  peace,  and  permanent  welfare.  This  he  com- 
mands ;  his  law  requires  it. 

He  knows  that  sin  and  wickedness  will  make  them 
miserable,  and  this  he  forbids  by  his  law,  because  he 
loves  his  children,  and  he  would  have  them  avoid  all 
evil  for  this  very  reason. 

Let  me  ask.  Why  does  the  parent  make  laws  and 
rules  for  his  children  ?  Because  he  loves  them,  and 
is  conscious  that  his  knowledge  and  experience  are 
needful  to  their  safety  and  happiness.  If  the  parent 
knows  the  motive  of  his  own  commands,  if  he  knows 
why  he  wishes  his  children  to  do  right,  and  avoid 
wrong,  then  he  has  in  his  own  heart  the  great  secret 
of  God's  moral  government  over  man,  the  source  out 
of  which  comes  the  divine  law.  God  is  Love,  and 
his  laws  are  not  the  arbitrary  decrees  of  a  despot  who 
wishes  merely  to  show  his  power,  and  his  right  to 
command  ;  but  they  are  the  requirements,  the  salu- 
tary counsels  and  warnings  of  an  infinitely  good  and 
gracious  Father,  who  aims,  in  all  things,  at  the  hap- 
piness of  his  children^ 

And  now,  if  we  have  come  to  understand  clearly, 
the  origin,  purpose,  and  aim  of  the  Law,  we  are  rea- 
dy to  meet  the  next  imjDortant  question. 

§11.    What  is  the  object  of  the  penalty  f  or,    in 


288  THEOLOGY    OF  ITNIVERSALISM. 

other  words,   Why  does  God  punish  at  all  those  who 
transgress  his  law  ? 

This  is  the  point  of  our  inquiry  ;  it  is  the  pivot  on 
which  it  all  turns.  But  the  way  is  opened  by  what 
has  already  been  said.  One  thing  is  sure,  that  the 
law  and  the  penalty  come  equally  out  of  infinite 
Goodness  and  infinite  Justice.  There  can  be  no  con- 
tradiction, no  collision  between  the  two.  God  does 
not  build  up  with  one  hand,  and  tear  down  with  the 
other.  He  does  not  oppose  his  own  work  ;  nor  is  he 
so  short-sighted  in  his  arrangementSy  that  one  conflicts 
with  another. 

If  the  law  be  expressly  designed  for  the  happiness 
of  man,  the  penalty,  which  is  part  of  the  machinery 
of  the  law,  will  not  be  of  such  a  nature  as  to  defeat 
this  design.  If  the  law  seek  his  eternal  good,  the 
penalty  cannot  seek  his  eternal  evil.  This  would,  as 
said,  make  God  at  war  with  himself,  make  him  the 
most  inconsistent  being  in  the  universe. 

Let  me  illustrate  this  point.  Suppose  you  pur- 
chase a  watch  ;  on  examination  you  find  it  made  with 
exquisite  skill,  and  put  together  with  great  care,  with 
a  view  to  its  measurinor  time  with  the  greatest  exact- 
ness.  On  setting  it  in  motion,  you  find  it  goes  too 
slow,  or  too  fast ;  and  accordingly  introduce  the  ac- 
tion of  the  regulator^  which  immediately  stops  the 
watch  altogether.  You  take  it  forthwith  to  the  mak- 
er, and  the  following  dialogue  ensues: 

Did  you  make  this  watch  to  keep  time  correctly  ? 
"Yes."  Did  you  insert  this  regulator?  "I  did.'* 
Did  you  know  it  would  stop  the  watch,  and  entirely 
prevent  it  from  keeping  time  ?  '^  Yes."  What  did 
you  put  it  in  for,  then  ? 


THE    LAW  AND  ITS    PENALTIES.  28B 

What  answer  could  he  make  ?  None,  of  course  ; 
for  if  he  knew  the  regulator  would  stop  the  watch, 
then  he  put  it  in  for  that  purpose  ;  and  if  he  put  it  in 
for  that  purpose,  then  he  did  not  make  the  watch  to 
keep  time.  The  regulator,  in  order  to  be  a  regulator, 
must  work  in  harmony  with  the  rest  of  the  watch, 
not  against  it,  not  so  as  to  defeat  the  object  for  which 
the  watch  was  made. 

Now,  the  penalty  of  the  divine  luw,  or  punishment, 
is  to  the  law  what  the  regulator  is  to  the  watch  ;  and 
cannot,  therefore,  be  intended  to  defeat  the  object  of 
the  law,  but  to  promote  it.  The  law  is  designed  to 
secure  the  good  of  man  ;  and  punishment,  which  is  a 
part  of  the  law's  appliances,  must  be  designed  for  the 
same  thing,  and  not  for  the  opposite  of  it. 

When  sinners,  therefore,  transgress  the  law  made 
for  their  good,  God  punishes  them,  not  for  their  evil 
or  injury,  but  for  their  good  ;  to  restore  them  to  obe- 
dience, and  so  secure  that  happiness  which  they 
would  have  enjoyed,  without  the  process  of  punish- 
ment, if  they  had  obeyed  the  law-  in  the  first  place. 

In  the  well  chosen  language  of  S'i?'  James  Stephens^ 
who  fills  the  Chair  of  History  in  Edinburo^h  Colleore, 
and  who  rejects  the  doctrine  of  endless  punishment, 
as  the  penalty  of  the  Divine  Law  :  "  That  v^rhich  In- 
finite Love,  directed  by  Omniscience,  commands, 
must  be  for  the  hiEjliest  2:Ood  of  him  to  whom  the  com- 
mand  is  addressed ;  and  disobedience  to  such  com- 
mands, must  consequently  be  the  suicidal  abandon- 
ment and  rejection  of  happiness.  To  prevent  that 
suicide,  or  to  reclaim  the  self-destroyer  into  the  ways 
of  peace,  Love  will  resort  to  a  discipline  as  stern, 
severe,  and  formidable,  as  the  inveteracy  of  the  moral 
disorder  may  rc(juire.     Such  love  will  never  degen- 


290  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

orate  into  fondness,  nor  shrink  from  the  infliction  of 
any   remedial    punishment,    however    protracted   or 

acute God  remembers   we  are  but  dust,  and 

^ylll  not  always  chide,  nor  keep  his  anger  for  ever." 
And  again,  he  says ;  "  It  is  impossible,  unless  one 
amuses  himself  with  phrases,  or  voluntarily  blinds 
himself,  by  placing  on  a  level  the  Divine  justice  and 
the  imperfect  justice  of  men,  to  attribute  to  a  God  in- 
finitely good,  who  is  charity  itself,  who  loves  all  his 
children  with  an  equal  love,  any  other  intention, 
when  he  permits  evil  to  bring  evil,  and  the  wicked  to 
be  punislied,  than  to  correct  him,  to  confound  and 
bring  him  back,  to  convert  him,  and  give  him  a  heav- 
en in  place  of  a  hell.  Yes,  all  suffering  sent  by  the 
celestial  Fatlier  to  his  children,  is  a  lesson,  or  else  it 
is  irreconcilable  with  his  most  evident  attributes."  ^ 

And  with  what  striking  force  of  words.  Dr. 
Young,  In  his  "  Night  Thoughts,"  has  given  utter- 
ance to  this  truth,  so  comforting  to  man,  so  honora- 
ble to  God  : 

"  Who  -without  pain's  advice  would  e'er  be  good  ? 
Who,  without  death,  }Dut  would  be  good  in  vain? 
Pain  is  to  save  from  pain,  all  punishment 
To  make  for  peace;  and  death  to  save  from  death: 
And  second  death  to  guard  immortal  life! 
By  the  same  tenderness  divine  ordained 
That  planted  Eden,  and  high  bloomed  for  man 
A  fairer  Eden  endless  in  the  skies. 
Great  Source  of  Good  alone,  how  kind  in  all ! 
In,  vengeance  kind!  Pain,  Deaths  Gehenna  iave."^ 

i  Easays  in  Ecclesiastical  Biography,  by  Sir  James  Stephens,  K. 
C.  B.;  LL.  D.,  London,  1850,  2d  edition.     Epilogue. 

2  How  could  Dr.  Young  believe  in  endless  punishment,  if  he  believed 
'*  all  punishment  made  for  peace,"  that  God  was  "  kind  even  in  ven- 
geance," and  that,  finally,  hell  (Gehenna)  itself  was  designed  to  save, 
and  would  save  ?  That  he  did  not  believe  it,  this  passage  proves, 
as  well  as  several  in  his  "Last  Day;"  one  of  which  is  quoted  w\ 
page  88. 


ALL    PUNISHMENT  COllHECTIVE.  201 

And  from  tills  stand  point  we  can  easily  sec  the  un- 
reasonableness of  the  doctrine  of  endless  punishment. 
Can  anything  be  more  monstrous  than  the  supposi- 
tion that  God,  who  is  infinite  in  wisdom,  should  es- 
tablish a  law  whose  object  is  to  make  man  eternally 
happy,  and  then  find  himself  so  hindered  and  com- 
promised by  the  penalties  of  that  law,  that  the  next 
best  thing  he  can  do  is  to  shut  him  up  in  hell,  and 
make  him  eternally  miserable  ?  What  should  we 
think  of  a  physician  who,  in  attempting  to  cure  a 
sick  man,  should  kill  him  ? 

SECTION    III, 

TESTIMONY  OF  THE   SCRIPTURES  TO    TUE   CORRECTIVE  NATURE  OF  PUN- 
ISHMENT. 

Of  course  we  do  not  deny  that  example  and  the 
maintenance  of  the  law,  have  also  something  to  do 
with  the  purpose  and  intention  of  punishment ;  but 
this  is  always  in  harmony  with  the  main  design,  and 
never  excludes  it.  Punishment  as  example,  recog- 
nizes the  value  of  the  law,  and  its  direct  relation  to 
the  general  good  ;  and  in  this  general  good  is  included 
the  individual  good  of  the  sulFerer.  Nothing  but 
good  has  any  right  to  be ;  and  the  only  claim  which 
the  law  has  to  maintenance  and  obedience,  lies  in 
this  fact,  that  its  object  and  aim  are  universal  good. 

It  is  afiirmed  by  some  writers,  in  regard  to  human 
laws,  that  "the  reformation  of  the  offender  forms  no 
part  at  all  of  the  design  of  legal  penalty  ;  "  '  and  from 
this  they  argue  that  it  must  be  so  with  divine  penal- 
ties or  punishments,  and  thus  they  make  manifest  the 

^"  Love  and  Penally^  by  Joseph  P.  Thompson,  D.  D.,"  New  York, 
ISOO,  page  182, 


f02  TKEOLOGY    OF   U^NTYERSALIS^Jf. 

difference  between  their  own  teachings  and  reason- 
ings, and  those  of  the  inspired  men  of  God.  Instead 
of  making  God^s  law  the  standard,  and  lifting  humau 
laws  np  to  it,-  these  men  make  human  laws  the  stand- 
ard,, and  bring  down  God's  law  to  that.  The  law  of 
man  punishes  in  such  a  way,  and  for  such  a  purpose  ; 
therefore  the  law  of  God  will  do  the  same.  The  per- 
fect is  measui-ed  by  the  imperfect ;  and  because  blind 
and  io'noraut  man  cannot  determine  the  exact  dearee 
of  guilt,  and  adjust  the  penalty  to  the  desired  end, 
therefore  the  omniscient  God  cannot  I 

But  let  us  consider  specially  th«  assertion  that  the 
penalty  of  transgression  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
reformation  of  the  transgressor.  In  Leviticus  xxvi. 
it  is  written,  "If  ye  will  not  hearken  unto  me,  and 
will  not  do  all  these  commandments ;  and  if  ye  de- 
spise my  statutes  "  — (here  we  have  the  law ;  and; 
now  for  the  penalty)  —  "I  also  will  do  this  unto  you, 
I  will  even  appoint  over  you  terror,  consumption,  and 
the  burning  ague,,  that  shall  consume  the  eyes,  and 
cause  sorrow  of  heart,"  &c.  (And  now  for  the  object 
of  this  penalty  :)  "  And  if  ye  will  not  for  this  Jiearhen 
unto  mCj  then  will  I  punish  you  yet  seven  times  more 
for  your  sins,  ....  and  if  ye  will  not  he  refokmed- 
by  me  by  these  things,"  &c.  And  yet  we  are  told 
that  "  the  reformation  of  the  offender  fqrms  no  part 
at  all  of  the  design  of  legal  penalty !  " 

"  Also  unto  thee,  O  Lord,  belong^^th  mercy,  for 
thou  renderest  unto  every  man  according  to  his 
work."  Ps.  Hi.  12.  Here  the  penalty  is  declared  to 
be  administered  in  such  manner  and  spirit  as  to  make 
it  an  evidence  of  the  divine  mercy,  aiming  to  secure 
the  g(x>d  of  the  sufferer. 


ALL   PUNISHMENT  CORRECTIVE.  293 

*' Behold,  happy  is  the  man  whom  God  correcteth^ 
J.herefore,  despise  not  thou  the  chastening  of  the 
Almighty ;  for  he  maketh  sore,  and  bindeth  up  ;  he 
woundeth,  and  his  hands  make  whole.  '  Job.  v. 
David,  whom  God's  judgments  found  out  for  his 
great  sins,  says,  in  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the 
reforming  power  of  his  punishment,  "  Before  I  was 
afflicted,  I  went  astray,  but  now  have   I  kept  thy 

word Thou   art  good,  and   docst  good I 

know,  O  Lord,  that  thy  judgments  are  right,  and 
that  in  faithfulness  thou  hast  afflicted  me.  It  is  good 
for  me  that  I  have  been  afflicted,  that  I  might  learn 
thy  statutes."     Ps.  cxix.  67,  71,  75. 

In  the  work  just  referred  to,  it  is  said  that  *' judg- 
ment and  penalty  are  suspended  in  this  world,  in 
order  that  means  of  reformation  may  be  tried."  But 
David  sets  up  no  such  distinction.  He  plainly  asserts 
the  fact  that  God's  judgments  and  his  afflictions  are 
identical,  and  that  by  these  he  was  reformed,  and 
turned  from  the  paths  in  which  he  had  gone  astray. 
He  does  not  say  "judgment  was  suspended  that 
means  of  reformation  might  be  tried,"  but  that  the 
judgment  itself  was  the  means  of  reformation,  the 
"  admonitory  and  corrective  discipline  "  by  which  he 
learned  God's  statutes,  and  kept  his  word. 

So  the  wise  man  says,  "  My  son,  despise  not  thou 
the  chaiUening  of  the  Lord,  nor  weary  of  his  cor- 
rection ;  for  whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  correcteth, 
even  as  a  father  the  son  in  whom  he  delighteth." 
Prov.  iii.  11.  Here  the  punishments  of  God  are  illus- 
trated by  those  of  an  affectionate  earthly  father,  who 
chastens  and  corrects  his  erring  son  whom  he  loves, 
because  he  loves  him.     And  how  perfectly  this  har- 


f94  THEOLOGY    OF   tlSITERSALISM, 

monizes  with  the  passage  already  cited  from  Hebrews:, 
where  we  are  assured  that  God  chastens  ''''for  our 
profit^  that  we  might  be  partahers  of  Ms  holiness  "  ;■ 
and  though  "^  for  the  present  it  seemeth  to  be  griev- 
ous, nevertheless  it  aftenvard  yieldeth  the  peaceable 
fruits  of  rio^hteousness  to  them  that  are  exercised  there- 
by."  xii.  Has  endless  punishment  any  afterward  to 
it  ?  Does  it  yield  the  peaceable  fruits  of  righteous- 
ness to  them  who  are  exercised  thereby  ? 

"'The  Lord  will  not  cast  off  forever ;  but  though 
he  cause  grief,  yet  he  will  have  compassion  according 
to  the  nmltitude  of  his  n:^rcies,  for  he  doth  not  afflict 
willingly,  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men."  Lam.  iiio- 
Nothins:  can  be  more  direct  than  this.  Grief  and 
affliction  are  not  chosen  for  their  awn  sake  ;  they  are* 
not  perpetual  —  but  are  employed  in  kindness  ;  and,, 
the  corrective  result  gained,  the  Lord  "  will  have 
compassion  according:  to  the  multitude  of  his  mer- 
cies." 

And  in  his  rebuke  of  his  sinful  people  he  saysy 
"  Thine  own  wickedness  shall  correct  thee,  and  thy 
backslidings  shall  reprove  thee  t  know  therefore,  and 
see,  that  it  is  an  evil  thing  and  bitter,  that  thou  hast 
forsaken  the  Lord  thy  God."  Jer.  ii.  19.  Here  the 
fact  that  wickedness  brings  in  its  train  bitterness  and 
sorrow,  and  that  this  penalty  of  forsaking  the  Lord 
and  his  law  was  not  only  designed  to  correct,  bull 
would  correct  them,  is  positively  affirmed. 

And  how  plainly  and  instructively  this  truth  is 
confirmed  in  the  oft-quoted,  and  always  pleasing  his- 
tory of  the  prodigal  son.  Did  not  the  punishment  of 
his  sin,  the  "evil  thing  and  bitter"  which  his  wick- 
edness brought  upon  him,  finally  correct  him,  and  lead 


ALL  PUNISHMENT  COBKECTIVE.  295 

him  to  say,  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father  "  ?  Did 
he  not  know  and  feel  the  judgments  of  the  Lord  on 
the  transgressor  of  his  righteous  law,  on  him  who 
gives  himself  up  to  a  vicious  and  abandoned  course 
of  life  ?  And,  by  experience  of  them,  was  he  nofc 
turned  from  his  folly,  and  brought  back  from  his 
wanderings  ?  * 

All  these  testimonies  from  the  Bible,  and  many 
more  which  might  be  cited^  reveal  the  general  princi- 
ple on  which  the  heavenly  Parent  proceeds  in  his  ad" 
ministration  of  pimishments-  They  show  that  the 
law  and  the  penalty  are  not  in  conflict,  but  one  in 
spirit  and  purpose,  though  different  in  method  and 
means  ;  that  they  both  are  ordained,  not  for  the  good 
of  the  Lawgiver,  not  to  secure  any  advantage  to  him  - 
but  for  the  good  of  those  to  whom  the  law  is  given 
as  a  rule   of  conduct.     The  penalty,  or  the  punish- 

*  The  Misses  Bkonte,  authors  of  "Jane  Eyre,"  "Shirley^"  &c., 
daughters  of  an  English  clergymauj  were  believers  in  the  great  restora- 
tion. Alluding  to  the  death-scene  of  an  erring  brother,  one  of  thera 
says:  "  How  could  I  endure  to  think  that  that  poor,  trembling  soul  was 
hurried  away  to  everlasting  torment  ?  It  would  drive  me  mad  !  But 
thank  God  for  the  blessed  confidence  that,  through  whatever  purging 
fires  the  eiTing  spirit  may  be  doomed  to  pass,  whatever  fate  awaits  it, 
still  it  is  not  lost-^  and  God,  who  hateth  nothing  that  he  hath  made 
Wj7Z  bless  it  in  the  end.''— Tenant  of  Wildfell  Hall. 

It  is  curious  to  note  how  many  of  the  English  Chui'ch,  even  cf  its 
ministers,  past  and  present,  have  rejected  the  doctrine  of  endless  pun- 
ishment, as  Archbishop  Tillotsox,  Bishops  Warburton,  Rust,  Bur- 
net, &c- ;  as  well  as  Maurice,  Kixgsley  and  others,  of  to-day.  Per- 
haps the  fact  finds  explanation  in  the  words  of  Dr.  HEt,  who  says  : 
"  It  is  owing  to  the  moderation  of  our  Church,  that  we  are  not  called 
upon  to  subscribe  to  the  eternity  of  hell  torments ;  nay,  we  are  not  re- 
quired even  to  condemn  those  who  presume  to  affirm  that  all  men  will 
finally  be  saved."— JVbrrmian  Lectures,  vol.  ii.  389.  it  is  a  well- 
known  fact,  that  in  the  revision  of  the  articles,  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth, 
Article  xlii,  condemning  Universalism  as  a  heresy,  was  struck  out-— 
i'V/iitteniore''s  -Modern  History, 


296  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVEIlSALISM. 

ment  of  disobedience,  aims  at  tlie  same  thing,  whicli 
the  law  aims  at,  yiz :  to  cause  mankind  to  walk  in 
the  ways  of  the  Lord,  to  do  right ;  simply  because 
the  rio-ht  leads  to  happiness,  to  the  highest  good  of 
him  who  does  it.  God  never  inflicts  punishment  or 
pain  for  its  own  sake,  as  an  end  ;  but  only  as  a 
means.  He  never  rests  in  it  as  final,  as  the  thing 
soucrht,  the  thing  he  is  satisfied  to  make  permanent 
and  endless. 

It  may  interest  the  reader,  and  profit  him,  to  com- 
pare the  preceding  reasoning  on  the  nature  and  ob- 
ject of  divine  punishments,  with  the  views  entertain- 
ed by  some  of  the  Universalist  Fathers  of  the  early 
Christian  Church. 

Clemens  Alcxandrmus,  A.  D.  190,  says  :  "  Punish- 
ment is,  in  its  operation,  like  medicine  ;  it  dissolves 
the  hard  heai^t,  purges  aWay  the  filth  of  uncleanness, 
and  reduces  the  swellings  of  pride  and  haughtiness  ; 
thus  restoring  its  subject  to  a  sound  and  healthful 
state." ' 

Origeii,  A.  D.  230.  ''  The  sacred  Scripture  does, 
indeed,  call  "  our  God  a  consuming  fire,"  (Deut.  iv. 
24,)  and  says  that  "  rivers  of  fire  go  before  his  face," 
(Dan.  vli.  10,)  and  that  "  he  shall  come  as  a  refiner's 
fire,  and  purify  the  people,"  (Mai.  ill.  2.)  As,  there- 
fore, God  is  a  consuming  fire,  what  is  it  that  is  to  be 
consumed  by  him  ?  We  say  it  is  wickedness,  and 
whatever  proceeds  from  it,  such  as  is  figuratively 
called  "  wood,  hay,  and  stubble,"  (1  Cor.  iii.)  which 
denote  the  evil  works  of  man.  Our  God  is  a  con- 
suming fire  in  this  sense  ;  and  he  shall  come  as  a  le- 
finer's  fire  to  purify  rational  nature  from  the  alloy  of 
'  Pedagogy  i.  8. 


ALL   PUNISHMENT  COKRECTIVE.  297 

wickedness,  and  other  Impure  matter  which  has  adul- 
terated the  intellectual  gold  and  silver;  consuming 
whatever  of  evil  is  admixed  in  all  the  soul."  ^ 

Titus,  Bishop  of  Bostra,  A.  D.  364,  says  :  "  The 
punishments  of  God  are  holy,  as  they  are  remedial 
and  salutary  in  their  effect  upon  transgressors ;  for 
they  are  inflicted,  not  to  preserve  them  in  their  wick- 
edness, but  to  make  them  cease  from  their  sins.  Tho 
abyss  of  hell  is,  indeed,  the  place  of  torment,  but  it 
is  not  eternal.  The  anguish  of  their  sufferings  com- 
pels tliem  to  break  off  from  their  sins."  ^ 

Gregory,  Bishop  of  Nyssa,  A.  D.  370,  states  his 
belief  as  follows  :  "  I  believe  that  punishment  will  be 
administered  in  proportion  to  each  one's  corruptness. 
For  it  would  be  unequal  to  torment  with  the  same 
purgatorial  pains,  him  wdio  has  long  indulged  in 
transgression,  and  him  v»dio  has  only  fallen  into  a  few 
common  sins.  But  that  grievous  flame  shall  burn  for 
a  longer  or  shorter  period,  according  to  the  kind  and 
quantity  of  the  matter  that  supports  it.  Therefore, 
to  whom  there  is  much  corruption  attached,  with  him 
it  is  necessary  that  the  flame  which  is  to  consume  it, 
should  be  great,  and  of  long  duration ;  but  to  him  in 
whom  the  wicked  disposition  has  been  already  in  part 
subjected,  a  proportional  degree  of  that  sharpness 
and  more  vehement  punishment  shall  be  remitted. 
All  evil,  however,  must  at  length  he  entirely  removed 
from  every  thing,  so  that  it  shall  no  more  exist.  For 
such  bein2:  the  nature  of  sin,  that  it  cannot  exist  with- 

■■  Contra  Celsuvi,  Lib.  iv.  13;  a  work  in  which  is  anticipated  nearly 
all  the  modern  replies  to  infidelitj^ ;  as  indeed  the  work  of  Celsus,  which 
it  answers,  anticipates  all  the  attacks  on  Christianity  from  that  class 
represented  by  the  English  infidels  of-the  18th  ceutui-y. 

*  Contra  Munich.  Lib.  i. 


298  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

out  a  corrupt  motive,  it  must,  of  course,  be  perfectly 
dissolved  and  wholly  destroyed,  so  that  nothing  can 
remain  a  receptacle  of  it,  when  all  motive  and  influ- 
ence shall  spring  from  God  alone."  ^ 

This  perfect  agreement  between  ancient  and  modern 
Universalists,  respecting  the  remedial  nature  of  di- 
vine punishments,  is  instructive  ;  and  suggestive  of 
much  to  those  who  regard  the  doctrine  of  Universal 
Restoration  as  of  recent  oris^in. 

^  De  Jlnimact  Rcsurrectione. 

NovATus,  or  Novatian,  who  was  perhaps,  the  rival  of  Cornelius  for 
the  Bishopric  of  Rome,  A..  D.,  250,  maintained  that  the  *'  wrath  and  in- 
dignation of  the  Lord,  so  called,  are  not  such  passions  as  bear  those 
names  in  man;  but  that  they  are  oi^erations  of  the  divine  mind  direct- 
ed solely  to  our  purification."  —  De  Rcgula  Fidei,  cup.  iv.  Yet  he 
was  very  severe  himself  towards  lapsed  professors. —  Moshcim  i.  202. 

I  shall  probably  have  no  better  place  than  this,  to  call  attention  to 
the  extensive  prevalence  of  Universalism  in  the  primitive  chuich.  A 
D.  199-550  show  amon^  its  advocates  many  of  the  most  pious,  learned, 
and  influential  of  the  Christian  Fathers,  as  Clement,  Origen,  Maecel- 
Lus,  Bishop  of  Ancyra,  Titus,  Bishop  of  Bostra,  Gregory,  Bishop  of 
Nyssa,  Didymus  the  Blind,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  erudite 
men  of  his  time,  Diodorus,  Bishop  of  Tarsus,  the  birfli-place  of  P.iul, 
Theodore,  Bishop  of  Mopsuestia,  Fabius  Marius  ViCToaiNUS,  &c. 
It  is  easy  to  see  to  what  extent  the  doctrine  must  have  prevailed  among 
the  lesser  clergy  and  laity,  when  so  many  of  the  dignitaries  of  the 
churuh  taught  it  publicly.  And  it  is  a  most  significant  fiict,  little  known, 
respecting  the  famous  Catechetical  School  of  Alexandria,  the  great  Ed- 
ucational and  Theological  Seminary  of  the  early  Church  (bearing  to  it 
the  re'ation  Avhich  the  Andover  Seminary  bears  to  New  England  Theo- 
logy,) that  three  of  its  moxt  popular  arid  distinguished  Presidenis  WKve 
Univer  salt-its  !  Surely,  Universalism  was  the  orthodoxy  of  the  Church 
at  that  period,  or  those  having  the  church  and  its  ministry  and  it3 
youth  in  their  charge,  were  culpably  recreant  to  their  duty.  Doedlr- 
IJEIN,  a  long  time  ago,  said,  that  "  the  mox'e  distinguished  by  erudition 
any  one  was  in  ancient  Christian  times,  by  so  much  the  more  did  he 
cherish  and  defend  the  hope  of  a  final  termination  of  torments— Q«(rn/o 
ywis  ullius  eruditione  in  antiquitate  Chridiana  eminuit,  tanto  magis 
speiii  Jiniendoruni  olini  craciatuum  aluit  alque  defendil.''^ — laslilat. 
TnroL  Chri 
Uist.  p.  290. 


ALL  PUNISHMENT  CORRECTIVE.  299 

And  now,  proceeding  with  the  argument,  let  us  add 
that  even  in  those  cases  where  a  city  or  a  nation  is 
destroyed  for  their  sins,  and  where,  of  course,  exam- 
ple and  warning  form  a  leading  feature  of  the  judg- 
ment, the  element  of  good,  of  correction  and  restora- 
tion, is  not  lost  siirht  of.  From  the  necessities  of  the 
case,  the  very  conditions  of  national  life,  men  cannot 
he  dealt  with,  in  this  collective  capacity,  in  the  same 
way,  or  punished  by  the  same  agencies,  as  in  the  case 
of  individual  transgression  and  retribution.  Still,  as 
remarked,  the  important  truth  that  punishment  is  a 
means  and  not  an  end,  that  it  looks  to  a  state  of 
things  beyond  itself,  is  always  discoverable. 

As  an  example,  take  the  well  known  passage  which 
closes  the  parable  of  the  sheep  and  goats  :  "  These 
shall  go  awav  into  everlastino;  punishment."  Matt. 
XXV.  46.  Now,  in  this  passage,  which  prophecied 
the  overthrow  of  the  corrupt  and  guilty  nation  of  the 
eJews  and  the  judgment  of  punishment  under  which 
they  are  still  suffering,  the  word  rendered  "  punish- 
ment," is  v-iilixaiz.  The  primary  meaning  of  this 
word  is  pruning  or  trimming,  as  of  a  tree  ;  cutting 
away  distorted  and  diseased  limbs  and  branches,  and 
restoring  it  to  symmetry  and  a  healthy  condition  — 
restraint  or  discipline,  in  the  way  of  correcting,  or 
for  the  purpose  of  preventing  farther  injury. 

There  is  a  remarkable  passage  in  Plato,  illustrating 
the  meaning  and  usage  of  this  word.  It  is  in  the 
Protagoras,  and  is  as  follows  :  "  For  the  natural  or 
accidental  evils  of  others," — as  weakness  or  dwarf- 
ishness  of  person,  or  deformity  of  body  —  "  no  one 
gets  angry,  or  admonishes,  or  teaches,, or  punishes 
(kolazci;)    them;  but   we  pity    those  afflicted    with 


300  THEOLOGY  OF  UNIVERSALISM. 

such  misfortunes.  But  if  any  do  not  have  those  vir- 
tues, which  are  the  fruit  of  careful  culture,  of  in- 
struction and  labor,  but  have  the  contrary  vices  (or 
evils  ;)  in  such  case  we  have  for  these  indignation, 
admonitions,  and  punishments  (Izolaseis.^  For  if,  O 
Socrates,  you  will  consider  %vliat  is  the  design  of  pun- 
ishing (jkolazeiifi)  the  wicked,  this,  of  itself,  will  show 
you  that  men  think  virtue  something  that  may  be  ac« 
quired;  for  no  one  punishes  (/jo/fzsei,)  the  wicked, 
looking  to  the  past  only,  simply  for  the  wrong  he  has 
done  —  that  is,  no  one  does  this,  who  does  not  act 
like  a  wild  beast,  desiring  only  revenge,  without 
thought  —  but  he  who  seeks  to  punish  {holazein,) 
with  reason,  does  not  ininisli  for  iJie  sahe  of  the  past 
wrong  deed  (because  he  cannot  undo  what  ia  already 
done  ;)  hut  for  the  sahe  of  the  future^  that  neither  the 
man  himself  who  is  punished,  may  do  wrong  again, 
nor  any  other  who  has  seen  him  chastised.  And  he 
who  entertains  this  thought,  must  believe  that  virtue 
may  be  taught ;  and  he  punishes  (holazei^^  for  the 
purpose  of  deterring  from  wickedness."  ^ 

Now,  here  we  see  the  meaning  of  holasis^  the  orig- 
inal word  in  the  phrase  "  everlasting  punishment,"  as 
defined  by  one  of  the  most  learned  and  eminent  of 
the  Greek  philosophers.  The  corrective  and  reforma- 
tory element  is  the  radical  one,  the  distinguishing 
force   of  the  word  ;  while,  at   the   same  time,  that  of 

^  Protagoras^  or  the  Sophist,  Sec.  38.,  Doha's  edition,  vol.  i.  p.  252. 
There  is  a  similar  passage  in  the  Gorgias :  "  This  man  here  cannot 
bear  to  experience  in  himself  the  thing  we  are  talking  about,  the  being 
chastised"  (/i-oZac:o//m720s.)  "But  to  punish  (/,'o/ac:cs//iai)  the  soul, 
rs  better  than  unrestrained  indulgence  («/vo/asi«.)"  Correction  or 
discipline  is  better  than  lawless  indulgence.  The  above  is  Aviser  teaching 
than  much  that  passes  for  Christianity  on  this  subject. 


ALL  PUXISTIMEXT  COErtECTTVE.  301 

waraing  or  example  is  intended  —  but  tliis  is  for 
o;ood,  and  not  for  evil.  There  is  nothing  purely  re- 
taliatory or  vindictive.  And  while,  as  we  have  ob- 
served, m  national  judgments  example  necessarily 
forms  a  leading  feature,  yet  correction  is  never  lost 
giglit  of. 

And  how  clearly  is  this  seen  in  the  very  case  in 
hand,  the  "  everlasting  punishment,"  (holasin^)  into 
wliich  the  Jewish  nation  was  sent  on  the  destruction 
of  their  city  and  temple.  God  did  not  intend  to  say 
that  their  punishment  should  be  endless^  any  more 
than  he  meant  to  say  that  they  should  possess  the 
land  of  Canaan  endlessly,  when  he  promised  that  it 
should  be  to  them  "  an  everlasting  possession."  If 
he  had  intended  to  declare  it  endless,  he  would  have 
chosen  some  other  word  than  Icolasis,  which,  as  we 
have  seen,  necessarily  involves  the  idea  of  correc- 
tion and  restoration,  and  is,  therefore,  in  direct  con- 
flict with  the  idea  of  endlessness.  *  But  he  evidently 
chose  this  term  with  a  purpose,  indicating  thereby 
that  he  did  not  design  to  cast  off  his  ancient  people, 
hopelessly  and  finally. 

Hence  Paul  says,  distinctly  and  positively,  that 
when  this  holasis  or  punishment,  shall  have  reached 
its   limit,    and    Israel    is  corrected  ;  or,  in    his    own 

^  And  this  is  a  sti"ong  collateral  proof  that  aionios  does  not  signify 
endless,  for  if  kolasis  radically  imi^lies  such  kind  of  treatment  as  im- 
proves, corrects  and  restores,  this  is  conclusive  evidence  that  it  cannot 
be  endless  —  for  endless  con-ection  or  restoration  is  a  contradiction  in 
terms.  Kolasis,  by  its  very  nature,  is  temporary,  and  therefore 
aionios  cannot  be  endless.  The  noun  restricts  the  adjective.  As  when 
^-e  say  "  a  great  continent,"  the  word  "  continent"  expands  the  word 
"great"  to  the  extent  of  its  own  boundaries;  but  when  we  say  "a 
great  farm,"  the  word  "  farm"  limits  the  word  '  great"  to  its  boujd 
aries,  exceedingly  small  compared  with  the  other.  See  this  discusseJ 
iu  C'lai'.  xi. 


302  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

"words,  when  this  "  blindness  in  part "  which  "  is  hap- 
pened to  Israel,"  is  removed,  and  "  the  fulness  of  the 
Gentiles  is  come  in,"  then  "  all  Israel  shall  be  saved  ; 
as  it  is  written,  There  shall  come  out  of  Sion  the 
Deliverer,  and  shall  turn  away  ungodliness  from  Ja- 
cob ;  for  this  is  my  covenant  unto  them  tvhen  I  shall 
take  aiuay  their  sins.^^     Rom.  xi. 

SECTION      IV. 

THE  PRESENT  A  STATE  OF  RETRIBUTIOX,  AND   NOT  OF  PROBATION.  ^ 

That  some  good  men  seem  outwardly,  or  in  mate- 
rial things,  to  be  more  afflicted,  to  be  subjected  to 
greater  evil  and  suffering  than  some  evil  men,  few 
will  be  disposed  to  dispute.  Many  good  persons  are 
troubled  by  misfortunes,  accidents,  sorrows,  sick- 
ness and  bereavements,  while  others,  who  are  sinful 
and  wicked,  escape  these,  and  seem  to  get  on  smoothly 
and  happily.  This  state  of  things  has  distressed 
many  pious  minds,  and  led  them  to  say  and  feel  as 
the  people  of  Israel  did  of  old,  that  "  the  way  of  the 
Lord  is  not  equal."     Ezek.  xviii. 

In  order,  therefore,  to  justify  the  ways  of  God, 
some  affirm  that  "  this  is  a  world  of  probation,  and 
not  of  retribution  "  ;  that  "  the  penalty  due  to  sin  is 
not  inflicted  here  " ;    and  resort  to  the   doctrine   of 

^  In  the  latest  labored  attempt  to  defended  the  doctriue  of  endless 
punishment,  "  Love  and  Penalty,"  the  work  already  quoted,  it  is 
affirmed  that  "  this  is  a  Avorld  of  probation  and  not  of  retribution,"  and 
that  "judgment  and  ]:)enalty  are  suspended."  Though  the  principle 
involved  in  this  assertion  has  been  reviewed  and  the  argument  sub- 
stantially refuted,  in  the  chapter  on  the  "  Sc;riptural  Doctrine  of  Judg- 
ment," as  well  as  in  the  previous  section  of  this  chapter,  it  may  be  well 
to  give  it  a  more  special  notice,  for  the  reason  that  the  error  has  taken 
each  stronghold  on  the  popular  mind. 


THIS  LIFE  NOT  PROBATIONAL.  S03 

i^uture  Retribution,  by  which  all  these  inequalities 
are  to  be  adjusted,  and  the  righteous  to  be  compen- 
sated for  what  they  have  suffered  here,  and  the 
wickad  to  receive  endless  evil  in  the  place  of  the 
good  they  have  enjoyed  hereJ  In  opposition  to  this 
thcor}',  we  offer  the  following  :  — 

§  I.  The  argument  of  facts  ^  of  observation  and  eX" 
lyerience. 

The  difficulty  in  the  premises  is  two-fold.  First : 
Exalting  a  few  exceptional  cases  into  the  force  and 
dignity  of  a  rule.  Second:  An  entire  misapprehen- 
sion of  the  nature  of  the  rewards  of  riohteousness, 
and  of  the  punishments  of  sin. 

1.  The  rule  is,  even  in  worldly  relations,  that  the 
righteous,  the  truly  good,  are  prosperous  and  happy, 
and  the  wicked  and  criminal  are  not.  Of  course 
there  are  exceptions  in  this,  as  in  everything  else ; 
but  the  rule  remains  —  the  virtuous  are  j)i'Ospered, 
honored  and  beloved  ;  while  the  reverse  is  true  of  the 
wicked. 

Look  abroad  into  any  country,  city  or  community, 
and  see  if  it  be  not  so  ;  see  if  it  be  not  the  honest 
men,  the  true  men,  the  good  men,  who  in  the  long 
run  succeed,  and  hold  the  high  places  of  trust  and 
honor.  Look  into  the  prisons  and  penitentiaries  — 
and  who  are  these  we  see  here?  Are  they  the 
righteous  men,  the  Christian  men  from  our  midst  ? 
Or  are  they  the  vile  and  wicked  and  criminal  ? 

So  universally,  indeed,  is  the  rule  which  governs 
here  estabhshed  and  acknowledged,  that  it  has  passed 
into  a  kind  of  proverb.  If  a  young  man  start  in  life 
with  good  principles;  if  he  is  honest,  truthful,  faith-' 

*  See  the  passages  in  "  Love  and  Penalty." 


304  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM. 

fill,  pure,  religious,  w6  say  of  him  confidently,  "  He 
will  succeed,  he  will  prosper,  he  will  stand  among  the 
noble  of  the  land."  But  if  he  is  idle,  corrupt  and 
wicked,  we  say  with  equal  confidence,  "He  will  have 
a  miserable  life  of  it ;  he  will  come  to  the  state  prison 
or  the  gallows,  or  some  bad  end." 

The  ground,  therefore,  on  which  this  charge  of  in- 
equality rests  is  not  tenable.  The  difficulty  which  is 
supposed  to  require  an  adjusting  process  in  the  next 
world  does  not  exist.  This  is  not  a  state  of  proba- 
tion, but  of  retribution  ;  and  the  penalty  due  to  sin 
is  inflicted  here.  God  governs  rightly  now,  and  his 
ways  are  equal,  and  it  is  only  man's  ways  that  are 
unequal. 

2.  But  the  grand  defect  in  this  false  accusation 
against  the  divine  administration,  lies  in  mistaking 
the  nature  of  the  rewards  of  virtue,  and  of  the  pun- 
ishments of  sin.  God  does  not  give  so  much  bread 
or  money  for  so  much  goodness  ;  nor  does  he  com- 
pensate the  righteousness  of  the  righteous  with 
houses  and  lands,  with  silks  and  jewelry,  with  bodily 
health  and  strength,  with  exemption  from  the  ordinary 
sorrows  and  bereavements  of  our  earthly  condition. 

If  the  righteous  man  disobey  the  laws  of  health  or 
of  organized  being,  he  must  pay  the  penalty  of  sickness 
and  bodily  pain,  the  same  as  if  he  was  unrighteous. 
Neither  holiness  nor  sin  has  anything  to  do  with 
the  matter.  If  he  is  slothful,  if  he  make  a  foolish 
bargain,  if  the  storm  overtake  his  ship,  or  his  house 
stand  in  the  way  of  a  conflagration,  he  must  sufler 
the  consequences,  though  he  be  a  saint,  and  pray 
never  so  earnestly.  Saints  and  sinners  are  alike  sub-" 
joct  to  the  natural  laws. 


THIS  LIFE  NOT  PROBATIOXAL.  805 

But  what  then  ?  Is  the  way  of  God  unequal  ? 
Does  the  prayer  of  faith,  the  love  of  God,  obedience 
to  the  moral  and  spiritual  laws  go  unrewarded  ?  Not 
at  all.  These  have  all  that  God  has  promised  them. 
Go  the  outward  world  as  it  will,  all  within  is  confi- 
dent, serene  and  blessed.  The  peace  of  God  is  al- 
%vays  present  to  the  good  man.  Though  the  trea- 
sures of  earth  fail  him,  he  has  heavenly  treasures  laid 
up  in  his  soul  which  cannot  fail.  The  outward  mau 
may  be  weak,  but  the  inward  man  is  strong.  The 
body  may  be  an  hungered,  but  the  spirit  feeds  on 
heavenly  food.  This  we  have  proved  and  illustrated 
already. 

So  the  punishments  of  sin  are  not  poverty,  bodily 
pain,  sickness  and  death,  exclusively.  By  no  means. 
If  the  morally  wicked  man  obey  the  physical  and  or- 
ganic laws,  he  shall  have  health  and  vigor  of  body ; 
if  he  be  industrious,  prudent  and  enterprising,  he 
shall  get  gain ;  if  he  sow  the  seed  in  spring-time,  he 
shall  reap  the  harvest  in  autumn.  God  has  promised 
these  rewards  to  these  labors,  to  this  obedience  to  the 
natural  laws.  He  will  not  violate  his  promise,  nor 
interrupt  the  order  of  nature,  nor  work  a  miracle,  in 
order  to  punish  him.  But  if  the  man  be  dishonest 
and  false  and  selfish,  he  must  and  will  bear  the  bur- 
then of  these  sins,  in  the  loss  of  confidence  and  busi- 
ness and  sympathy,  in  the  contempt  and  hatred  of  all 
who  know  him  —  if  he  become  the  servant  of  sin,  he 
must  take  "  the  wages  of  sin,"  which  "  is  death  "  —  j 
if  he  live  without  faith  or  prayer  toward  God,  he  is 
deprived  of  all  the  strength  and  peace  and  joy  that 
are  the  fruit  of  these. 

No  matter  how  large  his  gains,  or  how  abundant 


oOo  THEOLOGY  OF   UXIVERSALISM. 

his  harvest,  or  how  great  his  bodily  vigor ;  if  he  be 
guilty  of  wrong  or  crime,  his  retribution  goes  hand 
in  hand  with  these.  His  sin  is  sure  to  find  him  out ; 
conscience  will  deal  her  flaming  arrows  on  his  soul, 
however  calm  and  placid  the  exterior.  And  here  I 
might  set  against  the  assertion  that  "  the  penalty  due 
to  sin  is  not  inflicted  here,"  the  following  testimony 
from  an   Orthodox  journal  of  the  highest  rank :  — 

"The  principle  of  conscience  establishes  also  the 
inflexible  justice  of  God.  It  has  its  awards  and  pun- 
ishments. It  visits  the  evil-doer  with  the  terrible 
stings  of  guilt  and  remorse,  and  throws  over  him  the 
deep  chill  shadow  of  a  coming  retribution.  It  dashes 
into  every  cup  of  forbidden  pleasure,  the  unfailing, 
inseparable  element  of  consequent  wretchedness.  It 
links  together  human  crime  and  human  suffering,  the 
^•iccs  and  the  miseries  of  men,  so  that  the  one  shall 
follow  the  other  invariably,  as  sound  and  echo  pursue 
each  other  alono;  the  mountain  side.  There  is  with 
it  no  respect  of  persons,  no  taking  of  bribes.  With 
its  wiiip  of  scorpions  it  pursues  the  wrong-doer,  who- 
ever he  may  be,  wherever  he  may  go ;  tracks  him 
into  every  obscurity,  finds  him  out  in  the  deepest  re- 
tirement and  the  darkest  night ;  overtakes  him  in  his 
swiftest  escape,  and,  like  the  terrible  avenger,  pursues 
and  hangs  over  him  wherever  he  takes  his  way."  ' 

It  would  be  diflicult  to  state  the  truth  in  stronger 
terms  than  these.  And  how  marvellously  the  doc- 
trine was  verified  in  the  cases  of  Cain  and  David, 
with  tlieir  anguish  cry  of,  "  My  punishment  is  greater 

'  Bibliotheca  Sacra  for  Nov.,  1840,  tlien  luuler  the  editorial  care  of 
Professois  Edwards  and  Park,  assistal  by  Dr.  Robinson  and  Professor 
SLnart. 


THIS  LIFE  NOT  PROBATIOXAL.  307 

than  I  can  bear  "  ;  "  the  pains  of  hell  gat  hold  on  me : 
I  found  trouble  and  sorrow."  But,  above  all,  the 
confessions  of  the  brethren  of  Joseph  witness  to  the 
inexorable  severity  with  which  the  moral  nature 
works  out  its  retributions. 

To  all  outward  appearance  it  went  well  enough 
with  these  men  after  their  great  crime  against  their 
brother  and  father.  Bodily  health,  the  fruits  of  the 
earth,  the  increase  of  flocks  and  herds,  social  posi- 
tion, domestic  security  —  all  these  continued  as  be- 
fore, and  they  seemed  at  perfect  peace.  But  God  had 
not  fogotten  them,  nor  the  eternal  truth  set  out  in  the 
declaration,  "  Though  hand  joined  in  hand,  the  wicked 
shall  not  be  unpunished."  Pro  v.  xi.  21.  The  memory 
of  that  great  sin  haunted  them  continually ;  and,  sin- 
gularly enough,  this  long-hidden  fact  comes  to  light 
at  last.  The  very  first  words  they  uttered  on  finding 
themselves  in  trouble  and  danger,  when  they  had 
gone  out  from  Joseph's  presence,  and  were  alone,  are 
thus  recorded  :  "  And  they  said  one  to  another,  we 
are  verily  guilty  concerning  our  brother,  in  that  we 
saw  the  anguish  of  his  soul,  when  he  besought  us, 
and  we  would  not  hear  —  therefore  is  this  distress 
come  upon  us.  And  Reuben  answered  them,  saying, 
Spake  I  not  to  you,  saying,  do  not  sin  against  the 
child ;  and  ye  would  not  hear  ?  Therefore,  behold 
also  his  blood  is  required."  Gen.  xlii.  There  it  is, 
out  at  last,  after  twenty-two  years  of  concealment! 
This  is  the  rift  opening  down  into  the  soul,  through 
which  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  pent-up  fires  of  hell. 
Conscience  has  not  slept  all  this  while.  She  has  been 
throwing  up  her  jets  of  sulphurous  flame  and  lava 
cunthiually,  though  they  have  fallen  within  the  crater, 
out  of  the  sight  of  the  world. 


808  TIIEOLOGT    OF   UKlVERSALIS3f, 

But  let  lis  look  again.  Se^centeeii  years  after  tMs^ 
on  the  death  of  Jacob,  the  very  first  thing  recorded 
after  his  burial  is  this  :  "  iSTow  when  Joseph's  breth- 
ren saw  their  father  was  dead,  they  said,  Joseph  will 
peradventure  hate  us,  and  will  certainly  requite  us 
all  the  evil  we  did  unto  him."     Gen.  1.  15-21. 

There  it  is  again !  All  the  kindness  of  Joseph,  all 
the  favors  bestowed  on  them,  all  the  love  he  had 
shown  them,  cannot  blot  out  the  remembrance  of  their 
sin,  nor  quiet  the  accusing  conscience.  Through 
all  these  seventeen  years  —  nay,  tJiese  thirty^nine 
years— ^t\\Q  stinging  sense  of  guilt,  the  tormenting 
fear  of  evil,  had  hung  over  them  like  a  threatening 
thunder-cloud.  And  now^  that  their  old  father,  who, 
they  thought,  stood  as  a  shield  between  them  and 
Joseph's  vengeance,  was  dead  and  buried,  they  were 
in  terror  lest  he  would  recall  their  crime,  and  requite 
them  all  the  evil  they  did  him  i  "  And  they  sent  a 
messenger  unto  Joseph,  saying.  Thy  father  did  com- 
mand before  he  died,  saying,  so  shall  ye  say  unto 
Joseph,  forgive,  I  pray  thee,  now,  the  trespass  of  thy 
brethren,  and  their  sin ;  for  they  did  unto  thee  evil. 
And  now,  we  pray  thee,  forgive  the  trespass  of  the 

servants  of  the   God   of  thy  father And  they 

went  and  fell  down  before  his  face ;  and  they  said, 
Behold,  we  be  thy  servants." 

Can  anything  show  more  eloquently  and  conclu- 
sively than  this  narrative,  that  this  is  a  state  of  retri- 
bution, and  not  of  probation  ?  Can  anything  prove 
more  clearly  the  just  and  sure  awards  of  conscience 
to  the  wrong-doer,  or  illustrate  more  forcibly  that  the 
wicked  are  not  happy,  however  prosperous  in  worldly 
things  ?     And  this  is  uniformly  the  positive^  as  well 


Tins    LIFE    NOT   rHOBATIONAL>  o-^O 

as  inferential,  teaching  of  the  Bible.  "  The  wicked 
is  snared  in  the  work  of  his  own  hands."  "•  The 
way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard."  "  Treasures  of 
wickedness  profit  nothing."  "  I?i  the  day  thou  eatest 
thereof,  thou  shalt  surely  die."  "  There  is  no  peace 
to  the  wicked;  they  are  like  the  troubled  sea,  when 
it  cannot  rest,  whose  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt." 
''  They  are  utterly  consumed  with  terrors."  "  Thorns 
and  snares  are  in  the  way  of  the  froward."  ''The 
curse  of  the  Lord  is  in  the  house  of  the  wicked," 
"  They  that  plough  iniquity  and  sow  wickedness, 
reap  the  same."  "  The  wicked  man  travaileth  with 
pain  all  his  days.''  "In  the  revenues  of  the  wicked 
is  trouble."  "  To  be  carnally  minded  is  death." 
*'  Mischief  and  sorrow  are  in  the  midst  of  the  wicked." 
"  The  wages  of  sin  is  death."  ^ 

Do  these  inspired  witnesses  agree   with  the   state- 

1  That  the  retributions  of  Conscience  arc  present  and  continuous,  or, 
in  other  Avords,  that  the  moral  nature  of  man  carries  within  itself  its 
rewards  and  punishments,  is  slowly  getting  acknowledgment  among 
theologians  and  writers  on  Morals.  Dr.  Chalmers  says,  "  In  the 
peace  and  enjoyment  of  the  good  affections  there  is  a  very  present  re- 
ward, and  in  the  disquietude  and  agony  of  tie  evil  affections  there  is  a 
very  present  vengeance."  And  again:  "  If  men  should  cease  to  be 
wicked,  all  wretchedness  and  woe  would  in  a  great  measure  be  banish- 
ed from  society ;  and  if  the  character  of  heaven  were  re-es- 
tablished upon  earth,  the  blessedness  of  heaven  would  be  forthwith, 
realized."     Institutes  of  Theol.  i.  104,  128. 

To  the  same  point  testifies  Du.  Wayland  respecting  the  awards  of 
Conscience:  **  We  can  never  be  disunited  from  it.  It  goes  with  us 
through  all  the  scenes  of  life,  in  company  and  alone,  admonishing, 
warning,  reproving,  and  recording;  and,  as  a  source  of  happiness  or 
of  misery,  it  must  abide  with  us  foi-ever."  ....  "Conscience 
foi-e warns  us  against  crime,  and  infiicts  its  own  peculiar  punishment 
upon  guilt."     Moral  Science,  pp.  S3,  103,  427. 

■  In  what  sense,  then,  is  this  a  state  of  probation  ?  and  for   what  pur- 
go^o  Is  a  future  .'itatc  of  punishment  ordained  for  the  sins  of  this  state  ? 


3IG  THEOLOGY    OF   UXIVEP.SALISM, 

ment  that  "  the  present  is  a  state  of  probation,"  and 
not  of  retribution,  and  that  "  the  penalty  due  to  siu 
is  n')t  inflicted  here  "  ? 

But  God  is  not   confined  to  one  method  of  punish- 
ment.    Eetribution  comes   also  in  the  form   of  out- 
\Tard    judgments.       ''The    chosen  people,    in    their 
passage    through  the  wilderness,    sinned   frequently 
and  provoked  their  God  to  anger.     They  are  punish- 
ed by  hunger  and   thirst ;  fire  belched  forth  from  the 
bowels  of  the   earth,  and  consumed  some  of  the   of- 
fenders ;     a   plague   came    down   upon  them ;    fiery 
serpents  invaded  their  camp,  and   stung   great  num- 
bei'^  of   the   peCpl©  ;  their  journey  was   drawn   out 
into  a  weary  wandering   for  forty  years   in  a  barren 
desert ,-  and  finally  there  were  but  two  of  that  whole 
generation  who  were  suffered  to  enter  into   the    land 
of  promise.      Moses   and  Aaron,  the  two  leaders    of 
the  host,  although   faithful  in   the  main,  yet  having 
sinned,  —  the    one    by     anger,    and    the    other    by 
countenancing  the  people  in  their  idolatry,  —  are  not 
permitted  to  set  foot   on   Canaan.      The   sons  of  EH 
digrace  the  office  of  the   priesthood  by  their  unholy 
a:ts  ;  a  sentence  from  on  high  is  pronounced  against 
them,  and  they  arc  slain  as  they  bore  the  ark  in  bat- 
tle with  the  Philistines.      Balaam   contends   ajrainst 
Israel  in  spite  of  God's   command   to   the  contrary, 
and  in  return  for  his  frowardness  is  killed  in   battle. 
The  whole  career  of  Saul  bears  testimony  to  a  sys- 
tem of  temporal  retnbution.     Throughout  his  reign, 
he  was  guilty  of  continual  declensions  from   the   law 
of  that  God  who  had  given  him  the  sceptre,  and  ac- 
cordingly he  was  visited  with  frequent  reverses  ,  his 
unchecked  passions  distempered  his  mind,  and  sub- 


THIS    LIFE    NOT   PEOBATIOXAL.  Sll 

jected  liim  to  seasons  of  madness  and  frenzy  ;  his  life 
as  poisoned  with  jealousy,  fear  and  remorse,  and  at 
lengtli,  when  he  had  refused  reproof  and  persisted  in 
sin,  he  dies  by  his  own  hand  on  the  field  of  battle, 
David  is  guilty  of  the  heavy  offences  of  adultery  and 
murder  ;  he  is  expressly  punished  by  the  death  of  the 
child,  and  th^re  was  a  series  of  misfortunes  from  this 
time  to  the  close  of  his  reio:n.  which  were  sent  as 
further  chastisements  of  his  dark  crimes.  Jeroboam 
encouraged  his  people  in  the  worship  of  idols,  and, 
in  consequence,  the  favor  of  the  Lord  departed  from 
him  and  his  household  and  kingdom.  Ahab  and 
Jezabel  favored  the  false  prophets,  insulted  the 
prophets  of  the  Lord,  practised  oppression,  fraud 
and  cruelty,  and  they  are  notably  punished  for  their 
dark  oiFences  ;  the  one  is  slain  in  battle,  the  other  is 
cast  from  her  window  and  devoured  by  the  dogs. 
The  princes  and  the  people  in  general  have,  through 
many  generations,  grievously  departed  from  the  law 
of  the  Lord ;  they  are  carried  into  captivity  in  Baby- 
lon, where,  during  seventy  years,  they  endure  all  the 
bitter  evils  of  exile,  bondage  and  oppression.  Nebu- 
chadnezzar insults  the  majesty  of  heaven  by  his 
pride,  ambition  and  ungodliness.  He  is  cast  down 
from  his  high  place,  and  doomed  during  seven  years 
to  herd  with  the  beasts  of  the  field.  Belshazzar, 
forgetful  of  the  warnings  and  the  judgments  that 
befell  his  grandsire,  exhibits  the  same  overweening 
arrogance,  conjoined  with  profligacy  and  profanity. 
Vengeance  descends  upon  him  in  the  hour  of  his 
loftiest  pride  and  exaltation.  As  he  sat  in  the  midst 
of  his  nobles  and  captains,  rioting  in  drunkenness, 
eacrilege  and  licentiousness,  a  spectral  hand  is   seen 


312  THEOLOGY    OF   UNI  VERS  ALISM. 

by  him  to  write  his  doom  in  mystical  characters  on 
tlie  wall.  The  sentence  is  expounded  to  him  by  the 
prophet  of  the  Lord,  and  that  very  night  his  city  is 
taken  and  sacked,  he  himself  slain,  and  his  kin^-dom 
given  to  another.  Haman  cherishes  a  deadly  jealousy 
against  the  upright  Mordecai,  and  carries  his  hatred 
so  far  as  to  erect  a  gallows  on  which  he  proposes  >3 
hang  the  object  of  his  enmity.  His  dark  schemes 
are  discovered  and  turned  against  himself,  and  he 
and  his  sons  arc  hanged  on  the  gibbet  which  he  had 
prepared  for  another."  ^ 

What  a  commentary  this  array  of  judgments  and 
punishments  on  the  truth  of  the  apostle's  declara- 
tion, that,  under  the  old  dispensation,  "  every  trans- 
gression received  a  just  recompense  of  reward." 

Guided,  therefore,  by  the  Bible,  and  instructed  by 
the  providence  of  God,  we  warn  every  man  of  the 
swift  retinbutions  of  sin ;  and  endeavor  to  persuade 
all  that  the  only  way  of  life  and  peace  and  blessed- 
ness, is  the  way  of  obedience  and  righteousness.  We 
proclaim  to  all  men  everywhere  :  "  The  wages  of  sin 
is  death,"  and  they  are  promptly  paid.  If  you  would 
not  receive  them,  abandon  the  service  of  sin,  and  fol- 
low after  holiness  ;  for  until  you  do  this,  you  shall 
not  see  the  Lord,  nor  enjoy  his  comfortable  presence. 
Do  this,  and  you  shall  have  that  peace  which  passeth 
knowledge  ;  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  is  the  Uni- 
versal Comforter,  shall  come  and  dwell  with  you  for- 
ever. 

1  "  A  System  of  Temporal  Retribution  indicated  from  Scripture  and 
Observation."  The  author  was  formerly  a  Presbyterian  Mnister  o/ 
Nova  Scofia. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

REPENTANCE  AND  FORGIVENESS  AS  RELATED  TO  SALVATION  AND 
PUNISHMENT. 

Repentance,  in  its  relation  to  Salvation,  is  simply 
reformation,  or  that  "  godly  sorrow  "  for  sin  which 
leads  to  its  abandonment.  It  is  not  mere  reg^ret  foi 
wrong,  but,  through  the  lielp  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
such  a  complete  change  of  mind  and  heart,  in  regard 
to  the  exceeding  wickedness  of  all  disobedience,  and 
the  nature  of  wrong  itself,  that  the  heart  and  con- 
science turn  from  it  with  abhorrence.  John  Baptist 
preached,  as  the  fore-runner  of  Jesus,  saying,  "  Re- 
pent, for  the  kingdom  of  lieaven  is  at  hand."  And 
the  Saviour  said,  "  The  time  is  fulfilled,  and  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand  ;  repent  ye  and  believe 
the  gospel."  Mark  i.  15.  That  is,  Reform,  for  the 
kingdom  of  righteousness  is  about  to  be  set  up  — • 
abandon  your  sinful  and  wicked  life,  and  prepare,  by 
a  change  of  faith,  and  heart,  and  conduct,  to  enter 
into  its  heavenly  joys. 

Paul  says  to  the  Corinthians,  "  I  rejoice,  not  that 
ye  were  made  sorry,  but  that  ye  sorrowed  to  repent- 
ance ;  for  godly  sorrow  worketh  repentance  to  salva- 
tion not  to  be  repented  of."  2  Cor.  vii.  8-11.  Not 
sorrow  only,  not  regret  that  they  had  suffered  for 
their  sin  ;  but  sorrow  for  the  sin  itself,  and  such  sor- 
row  that  it  led  to  a  complete  reformation,  to  an  en- 


ol4  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

tirc  cliLingc  of  heart  and  life,  and  consequent  salvation 
from  sin  and  from  the  love  of  it. 

To  the  same  point  is  the  exhortation  of  Peter  : 
"  Eepent  ye,  therefore,  and  be  converted,  that  your 
sins  may  be  blotted  out,  when  the  times  of  refreshing 
shall  come  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,"  &c.  Acts 
iii.  19.  Reform,  and  be  so  thoroughly  tui'ned  to  God, 
that  he  may  look  upon  you  no  longer  as  sinners,  but  as 
saved,  having  a  new  heart  and  a  right  spirit.  "  And 
John  did  baptize  in  the  wilderness,  and  preach  the 
baptism  of  repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins." 
Mark  i.  4.  The  thought  here  is  the  same  —  such  re- 
pentance as  v/ill  put  away  sin  entirely,  and  lead  to  a 
new  life  of  holiness.  And  thus  repentance  and  sal- 
vation touch  each  other  at  these  points,  and  are 
identical. 

Of  course,  presented  in  this  Scriptural  form,  it  is 
easy  to  see  that  repentance  is  necessary  to  salvation, 
to  deliverance  from  sin  ;  and  that  without  repentance 
there  can  be  no  salvation,  no  conformity  to  the  divine 
law  of  holiness.  But,  at  the  same  time,  we  must  re- 
member that  salvation  is  from  sin,  and  not  from  pun- 
ishment ;  and  that  repentance,  therefore,  is  not 
security  from  punishment,  not  a  way  or  a  means  of 
escape  from  the  penalty  of  actual  transgression. 

Repentance  leads  to  forgiveness,  just  as  it  leads  to 
salvation  ;  for  forgiveness,  as  taught  in  the  Bible,  is 
forgiveness  of  sin,  never  of  the  punishment  of  sin. 
This  is  important,  and  is  illustrated  by  such  passages 
as  these  :  "  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us 
our  sms."  1  John  i.  9.  ''  Thou  hast  forgiven  the 
iniquity  of  thy  people."  Psalm  Ixxxv.  2.  "  And 
thnr   sins   shall  be   forgiven   them."     Mark  iv.    12. 


REPENTANCE  AND  FORGIVENESS.       315 

"  Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is  forgiven, 
whose  sin  is  covered."  Psahn  xxxii.  1 ;  Rom  iv.  7. 
"  Having  forgiven  you  all  trespasses,'^''  Col.  ii.  13. 
"  I  write  to  yon,  because  your  sins  are  forgiven.'* 
1  John  ii.  12.  "  Who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities.^' 
Psalm  ciii.  3.  "  Him  hath  God  exalted  with  his 
right  hand,  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  to  give  repent- 
ance to  Israel,  and  forgiveness  of  sins.''  Acts  v.  31. 
''  Through  him  is  preached  unto  you  forgiveness  of 
sins."  iii.  "  In  whom  we  have  forgiveness  of  siiis." 
Eph.  i. ;  Col.  i. 

These  texts  are  proofs  of  the  position  that  the 
Scriptural  doctrine  of  forgiveness  is  not  remission  of 
punishment,  but  of  the  sin  which  brings  punishment. 
We  are  punished  for  sins  already  committed,  but  we 
are  forgiven  the  evil  heart,  the  wicked  passions  which 
lead  to  the  commission  of  them. 

And  this  truth  is  clearly  set  forth  in  such  testimo- 
ny as  this  :  "  The  Lord  God,  merciful  ancl  gracious, 
long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  goodness  and  truth, 
keeping  mercy  for  thousands,  forgiving  iniquity,  and 
transgression,  and  sin,  and  that  will  by  no  means 
clear  the  guilty."  Exod.  xxxiv.  6,  7.  Nothing  can 
be  more  directly  to  the  point,  than  this  declaration, 
that  the  guilty  are  both  punished  and  forgiven  ;  that 
it  is  iniquity,  transgression,  and  sin,  which  are  for- 
given, and  not  the  consequences  or  penalty  of  these. 

Hence  God  says  to  the  prophet  Isaiah,  "  Comfort 
ye  my  people,  speak  ye  comfortably  to  Jerusalem, 
and  cry  unto  her  that  her  warfare  is  accomplished, 
that  her  iniquity  is  pardo7ied ;  for  she  has  received 
at  the  Lord's  hand^  double  for  all  her  sins."  xl.  1,  2. 
It  is  impossible   to  state  the  matter  in  more  positive 


316  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM. 

terms  than  these.  Jerusalem  had  been  punished  se- 
verely, terribly  for  all  her  sins,  and  at  the  same  time 
we  are  told  that  she  was  pardoned  or  forgiven  —  but 
what  was  forgiven  ?  "  Pier  iniquity,"  or  the  sin 
which  brought  upon  her  these  judgments  of  the  Lord. 
And  without  question,  the  very  punishment  she  suf- 
fered was  one  of  the  agencies  by  which  this  forgive- 
ness was  accomplished. 

What,  then,  is  the  meaning  of  forgiveness  ?  The 
original  word  is  cUpiriin^  aphiemi^  in  its  verbal  form, 
and  a^fo-is,  apliesis^  in  its  substantive  form.  The 
italicized  words,  in  the  following  texts,  are  render- 
ings of  the  orio'inal  terms  :  "  Then  Jesus  sent  the 
multitudes  awayr  Matt.  xiii.  30.  And  in  1  Cor. 
vii.  12,  it  is  applied  to  the  divorce  ov  putting  away  of 
a  wife.  In  Luke  iv.  18,  it  occurs  twice,  translated 
by  the  English  words  "  deliverance  "  and  "  liberty," 
—  "  to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  to  set 
at  liberty  f^iem  that  are  bruised. 

The  simple  meaning,  therefore,  of  the  term  "  for- 
giveness," is  putting  or  sending  away^  removal^  or 
deliverance  from ;  and  "  forgiveness  of  sin,"  is  re- 
moval of  sin,  or  deliverance  from  sin.  From  this 
point  the  subject  becomes  intelligible.  The  sin  is 
punished  and  forgiven  —  the  penalty  of  transgression 
is  inflicted  ;  and  then  the  sinner  is  forgiven,  or  deliv- 
ered from  his  sinful  course,  his  evil  heart  of  wicked- 
ness. And  the  very  punishment  itself,  is  conducive 
to  this  forgiveness,  on  this  putting  away  of  sin.  Sub- 
dued and  humbled  by  the  just  judgments  of  God,  he 
reflects  upon  his  ways,  is  brought  to  repentance, 
abandons  his  wicked  life,  and  thus  his  sins  are  dis- 
missed,  put   away,  forgiven ;  he  is  set  at  liberty,  or 


REPENTANCE  AND  FORGIVENESS.  317 

dollvered  from  tbem  ;  or,  in  other  words,  he  is  saved 
—  not  from  punishment,  but  from  sin. 

TJiis  is  clearly  and  beautifully  illustrated  in  the 
Parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  which  we  may  be  per- 
mitted to  introduce  again  to  aid  us  in  understanding 
this  important  subject.  He  was  guilty  of  great  folly 
and  wickedness,  and  he  was  sorely  punished  foi*  it : 
he  suffered  terribly  for  the  Wrong  he  had  done.  This 
suffering,  this  punishment,  at  last  brought  him  to  re- 
pentance ;  he  abandoned  his  sinful  life,  or,  what  is 
the  same  thing,  his  sins  were  forgiven  or  put  away ; 
he  was  saved  from  them,  and  returned  to  his  father's 
house,  to  obedience  and  happiness.  He  did  not  by 
his  repentance  escape  the  punishment  of  his  past 
transgression ;  but  he  did  escape  from  his  sins,  and 
from  the  punishment  which  w^ould  have  followed  a 
continuance  in  them.  The  steps  in  his  fall  and  rise 
were  these :  1.  Temptation.  2.  Sin.  3»  Punishment. 
4.  licpentance.  5.  Forgiveness.  6.  Salvation.  Every 
one  who  has  sinned,  and  abandoned  his  sins,  can  un- 
derstand this  process,  this  inward  experience,  without 
any  learned  theological  treatise  on  the  metaphysical 
relations  of  these  various  steps  to  each  other. 

No  repentance  can  save  from  the  just  penalty  of 
the  violated  law.  The  hand  thrust  into  the  fire  is 
burned,  and  no  regret,  no  sorrow,  however  sincere^ 
can  save  from  the  pain  ;  but  it  may  save  from  a  repe-- 
tition  of  the  act,  and  so  save  from  the  repetition  of 
the  pain.  The  repentance  of  the  drunkard  does  not 
save  him  from  the  past  shame  and  degradation  and 
torment  of  his  transgressions.  He  has  not  been 
a  drunkard  all  these  years  without  suffering  the  loss 
of  honor  and  place,  of  the  respect  of  his  neighbors,  * 


818  THEOLoar  of  ijxiversalism. 

of  his  own  respect;  vritliout  humiliation,  disgrace  and 
remorse.  Pie  cannot  be  forgiven  these ;  but  his  re- 
pentance will  save  him  from  the  sin  of  drunkenness, 
and  thus,  the  sin  being  forgiven,  from  a  continuation 
of  the  punishment* 

We  turn  now  to  another  element  involved  in  the 
idea  of  forgiveness,  viz. :  .the  re-instatement  of  the 
sinner  in  the  position  he  occupied  before  his  trans- 
gression. The  party  against  whom  the  sin  has  been 
committed  I'egards  the  offender  as  though  the  sin  had 
not  been  committed.  On  his  repentance  and  return 
the  father  received  the  prodigal  as  if  he  had  never 
wandered,  with  t  :e  same  welcome  and  affection  as 
before  his  transgression.  His  sin  was  blotted  out, 
and  no  lono;er  remembered  ao-ainst  him. 

The  idea  is  expressed  in  such  passages  as  these  t 
*'  According  unto  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mer- 
cies, blot  out  my  transgressions.  ...  *  Hide  thy  face 
from  my  sins,  and  blot  out  all  mine  iniquities."  Ps. 
li.  1,  9,  "  For  I  will  be  merciful  to  their  righteous- 
ness, and  their  sins  and  their  iniquities  will  I  remem- 
ber no  more."  Heb.  viii.  12.  That  is,  their  sins  and 
iniquities  shall  not  be  remembered  against  them ;  or, 
in  the  language  of  Ezckiel  respecting  the  repentant 
sinner,  "  All  his  •  transgressions  that  he  hath  com- 
mitted, they  shall  not  be  mentioned  unto  him."  xviii. 
The  same  treatment  shall  be  extended  toward  liim, 
as  if  he  had  not  transgressed ;  the  same  love  shall 
embrace  him  after  he  has  repented  or  reformed,  which 
embraced  him  before  he  sinned. 

And  beside  this,  there  is  embodied  in  the  idea  of 
forc^ivcness  that  sense  of  release  and  freedom  from 
tlic  guilt  and  condemnation  of  sin,  which  is  the  natu^ 


HEPENTANCE  AND  EOHGIVEKESS.  319 

tal  consequence  of  a  complete  abandonment  of  it, 
and  a  fixed  purpose  to  live  a  life  of  virtue  and  godli- 
ness. The  former  transgressor  feels  that  the  cloud 
which  separated  between  him  and  God  is  passed 
away,  and  that  he  can  again  see  the  face  of  the 
Father,  and  rejoice'in  his  approving  smiles,  and  feel 
that  sweet  peace  and  satisfaction  which  are  the  re* 
ward  of  wcll-^doing,  of  obedience  and  love. 

It  is  from  this  point  we  see  the  meaning  of  these 
words  of  the  Saviour  :  "  If  ye  forgive  men  their 
trespasses,  your  heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive 
you ;  but  if  ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses, 
neither  will  your  Father  forgive  your  trespasses." 
Matt.  vi.  14,  15.  Hatred,  a  spirit  of  revenge,  a  hard 
and  unforgiving  temper,  ig  itself  a  sin  ;  and  while  we 
cherish  it,  we  cannot  have  the  approval  of  God,  nor 
the  peace  and  serenity  of  a  kind  and  loving  heart. 
Ko  sin  can  be  forgiven  or  put  away,  except  upon  re* 
pentance  ;  and  God  will  bless  us  with  a  sense  of  his 
comfortable  presence,  only  on  the  condition  that  we 
abandon  all  wrong  of  conduct  and  feeling,  and  purify 
our  hearts  of  all  hatred  and  vindictiveness*  So  lonof* 
as  these  evil  passions  are  in  the  heart,  we  cannot  be 
forgiven ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  sin  of  them  remains 
with  us.  "  Therefore,  if  thou  bring  thy  gift  to  the 
altar,  and  there  rememberest  that  thy  brother  hath 
aught  against  thee,  leave  there  thy  gift  before  the 
altar,  and  go  thy  way ;  first  be  reconciled  to  thy 
brother,  and  then  come  and  offer  thy  gift.  Matt.  v. 
23,  24. 

"Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our  debtors.'^ 
As  we  seek  by  our  love  and  kindness  to  overcome 
and  put  away  the  hatred  that  is  in  the  hearts  of  our 


320  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM 

enemies,  as  we  regard  with  favor  those  who  repent  of 
their  wrong  to  us ;  so  do  thou,  O  Lord,  by  the  power 
of  thy  love,  by  thy*  grace,  subdue  our  hardness,  re- 
move our  sinfulness,  and  restore  us  to  the  communion 
and  fellowship  of  thy  Holy  Spirit. 

The  simple  fact  is  this :  We  cannot,  constituted 
morally  and  spiritually  as  we  are  now,  be  at  peace 
with  God  till  we  are  at  peace  with  our  brother.  We 
cannot  feel  reinstated  in  the  approbation  and  favor  of 
our  Father,  against  wdiom  we  have  all  sinned  so 
much,  until  we  freely  forgive  and  restore  to  favor  the 
penitent  who  have  trespassed  against  us.  Hatred, 
malice,  revenge  are  themselves  proof  of  our  unfor- 
given  condition ;  for  forgiveness  of  sin  is  abandon- 
ment of  sin,  but  the  cherishing  these  evil  feelino-s  is 
itself  a  sin,  and  an  evidence,  therefore,  that  we  have 
not  abandoned  it. 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE   SCRIPTURAL   DOCTrwINE    OF  DAMNATION. 

SECTION     I. 

DEFINITION    AND     USAGE    OF     THE     ORIGINAL    WORDS. 

The  words  "  damn  "  and  "  damnation,"  are  trans- 
lations of  several  original  words  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. In  order  to  get  at  the  true  value  and  radical 
meaning  of  the  terms,  it  will  be  necessary  to  present 
the  Greek  forms  separately,  with  examples  of  the 
various  English  renderings. 

I.  Koiv^^} — Krino.  This  word  occurs,  in  its  simple 
form,  one  hundred  and  ten  (110)  times,  in  the  New 
Testament,  and  is  rendered  "  damn  "  once  ;  in  the 
compound  form  of -K«Ta;igu'w  —  .ffa^afc'/io,  nineteen 
(19)  times,  and  is  rendered  "  damn  "  twice.  The 
three  passages  are  the  following :  "  And  for  this 
cause  God  shall  send  them  strong  delusion,  that  they 
shoukl  believe  a  lie ;  that  they  all  may  be  damned 
(hrino^)  who  believe  not  the  truth,  but  had  pleasure 
iu  unrighteousness."  2  Thess.  ii.  11,  12.  "  He  that 
believeth,  and  is  baptised,  shall  be  saved ;  but  he 
that  beheveth  not,  shall  be  damned,"  (hatahrino^) 
Mark  xvi.  IG.  "  He  that  doubteth  is  damned  (hata- 
Icrino)  if  he  eat,  because  he  eateth  not  of  faith  ;  for 
whatsoever  is  not  of  faith,  is  sin."     Rom.  xiv.  23. 

The  exact  weight  which  is  to  be   attached  to  this 


322  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALISM. 

Avord  "  damned,  "  as  the  English  rendering  of  the 
original,  vriil  best  be  seen  by  adopting  it  as  the  trans- 
lation in  other  passages  where  it  occurs  in  the  origi- 
nal, but  is  rendered  into  English  by  a  different  word. 
"  That  ye  may  eat  and  drink  at  my  table  in  my  king- 
dom, and  sit  on  thrones  damning  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel."  Luke  xxii.  ''  He  that  believeth  not,  is 
damned  already."  John  iii.  "  Doth  our  law  damn 
any  man,  before  it  hear  him  ?  "  vii.  "Know  ye  not 
that  we  shall  damn  angels  ?  "  1  Cor.  vi.  "  Then 
said  Pilate  unto  them.  Take  ye  him  (Jesus,)  and 
damn  him  according  to  your  law."  xviii.  "  Woman, 
liath  no  man  damned  thee  ?  .  .  .  .  Neither  do  I  damn 
thee.  Go,  and  sin  no  more."  John  viii.  "  Let  not 
him  who  eatcth  not,  damn  him  who  eateth."  Kom. 
xiv.  "  When  Judas  saw  that  he  (Christ)  was  damn- 
ed." Matt,  xxvii.  "  Touching  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  I  am  damned  by  you  this  day."  Acts  xxiv. 
These  texts  are  sufficient  to  show  that  the  original 
word  is  not  one  specially  employed  to  express  the 
idea  of  punishment  even,  certainly  not  of  endless 
punishment.  And  is  it  likely,  if  the  doctrine  of  end- 
less punishment  be  true,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would 
have  chosen  a  word  to  express  it  so  very  elastic  and 
indefinite  as  this  ?  Is  it  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
so  tremendous  a  fact  would  be  left  to  rest  on  so  slight 
a  foundation  ?  on  a  Greek  word,  so  doubtful  that 
even  the  translators  themselves  have  ventured  to 
translate  it  "  damnation  "  only  three  times,  out  of  a 
usage  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- nine  times  !  And 
is  there  anything  in  these  three  texts  which  so  dis- 
tinguishes them  from  the  other  one  hundred  and 
twenty-six,  as  to  lead  us  to  believe  they  arc  specially 


DOCTRINE    OF   DAMNATION.  328 

-set  apart  as  revelations  of  this  terrible  dogma  ?  An 
examination  of  them,  and  a  comparison  with  the  rest, 
will  furnish  a  ready  and  satisfactory  answer  to  this 
question  ;  and  show  that  the  simple  idea  is  that  of 
judgment  or  trial ;  and  hence  decision  or  decree  ;  and 
from  this,  condeDination^  loss,  or  injury,  consequent 
upon  any  given  action  or  conduct.  Thus  the  evils  or 
punishments,  consequent  upon  unbelief,  arc  described 
by  this  term.  And  he  who  eats  meats  forbidden  by  the 
law,  or  such  as  had  been  offered  to  idols,  while  doubt- 
ful of  the  propriety  of  it,  or  his  conscience  not  ap- 
proving, is  condemned  ;  on  the  ground  that  we  should 
not  do  anything  of  the  propriety  and  rightness  of 
which  we  are  doubtful.  But  in  all  this  there  is  no 
allusion  to  future  or  endless  damnation.  The  mean- 
ing is  plain  enough  to  those  who  wish  to  know  the 
truth. 

11.  Ke^iaii  —  Krisis.  This  word  is  found  forty- 
eight  (48)  times  in  the  New  Testament,  and  is  trans- 
lated three  times  damnation,  twice  condemnation, 
twice  accusation,  and  in  every  other  instance,  judg- 
ment. The  passages  where  it  is  rendered  by  the 
word  "  damnation,"  are  Matt,  xxlii.  33,  "  lEow  can 
ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell?"  Mark  ill.  29, 
He  who  blasphemes  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  "  is  in 
danger  of  eternal  damnation  ;"  John  v.  29,  "  The  re- 
surrection of  damnation." 

The  same  idea  pervades  the  substantive  usage  of 
the  word,  which  marked  the  verbal  form  ;  and  the 
three  English  w^ords  chosen  by  our  translators,  to  re- 
present its  meaning,  well  express  its  development. 
First,  "  accusation,"  or  the  charge  or  indictment 
asrainst   the    offender  for   the   violation  of  the   law. 


324  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

Second^  "judgment,"  or  trial  of  the  accused,  tlio 
proceedings  necessary  to  conviction.  Thirds  "  con- 
demnation," or  "  damnation,"  consequent  upon  con- 
viction ;  the  punishment  of  the  transgressor  accord- 
ing to  the  demands  of  Government  and  the  Law. 

Of  course,  tliere  is  nothing  in  this  which  would 
lead  any  one  to  suppose  that  this  accusation,  judg- 
ment, conviction,  and  condemnation,  or  damnation, 
can  only  take  place  in  some  other  world  than  this. 
The  word  in  the  original  is  constantly  applied  to  the 
things  of  this  world,  to  men  in  the  flesh  ;  and  when 
used  in  connection  with  transgressors  of  the  moral 
law,  implies  the  infliction  of  the  penalty,  or  damna- 
tion, where  and  when  the  offence  is  committed. 
What  the  damnation  is,  is  determined  entirely  by  the 
nature  of  the  offence.  The  damnation  of  unbelief,  is 
the  condition  itself,  and  the  consequences  of  unbelief, 
the  darkness,  and  gloom,  and  torment,  which  are  the 
fruit  of  it.  "  He  that  believeth  not,  is  damned  al- 
ready ;  and  this  is  the  damnation,  that  men  have  lov- 
ed (or  chosen)  darkness  rather  than  light."  John  iii. 
But  the  damnation  of  the  "  Scribes,  Pharisees,  and 
hypocrites,"  who  were  full  of  all  manner  of  wicked- 
ness and  corruption,  was  seen  in  the  terrible  calami- 
ties which  fell  on  them  in  the  overthrow  and  destruc- 
tion cf  their  nation. 

III.  Koiucc  —  Krima.  This  word  occurs  twenty-* 
eight  (28)  times,  and  is  translated  "  damnation  "  sev- 
en times,  as  follows  :  Of  the  Pharisees  it  is  said,  be- 
cause of  their  greater  wickedness,  "  therefore,  ye 
shall  receive  the  greater  damnation."  Matt,  xxiii., 
Mark  xii.,  Luke  xx.  "  Whose  damnation  is  just." 
Horn.  iii.     Those   who  resist  the   civil  power  "  shall 


DOCTRINE    OF  DAMNATION.  B2S 

receiTe  to  tliemselves  damnation."  Rom.  xiii.  "  He 
that  eatetli  and  drinketh  unworthily,  eateth  and 
drinketh  damnation  to  himself."  1  Cor.  xi.  Certain 
widows  in  haste  to  marry,  do  so,  "  having  damnation, 
because  they  have  cast  off  their  first  faith,"  1  Tim, 
v.  12, 

Unfortunately  for  the  English  reader,  the  transla- 
tors of  the  Bible  have,  in  very  many  important  cases, 
confounded  the  duty  of  translator  with  that  of  inter- 
preter or  commentator.  Instead  of  selecting  the  best 
English  term,  to  represent  a  given  Hebrew  or  Greek 
word,  and  preserving  a  uniform  translation ;  they 
have  undertaken,  too  often,  to  decide  for  the  reader 
what  this  or  that  passage  or  expression,  means  as  re- 
gards doctrine.  In  respect  to  the  word  now  in  re- 
view, as  Avell  as  those  already  considered,  instead  of 
simply  translating  it  by  some  one  English  term,  and 
leaving  the  reader  to  compare  all  the  texts,  and  thus 
decide  for  himself  its  true  signification ;  they  have 
varied  its  translation  according  to  their  own  creeds  or 
opinions,  and  taken  upon  themselves  to  determine  the 
doctrine  of  the  passages  where  it  occurs. 

For  example,  suppose  we  had  "  damnation  "  in  the 
following  passages  as  the  translation  of  IcHma  ;  then 
by  comparing  it  wnth  the  seven  texts  already  given, 
the  reader  could  judge  for  himself,  whether  the 
original  contained  in  itself,  or  was  ever  employed  to 
express,  the  idea  of  endless  torment  after  death. 
Speaking  of  the  Saviour,  tli-j  disciples  say  :  "  The 
chief  priests,  and  our  rulero,  delivered  him  to  be 
damned  to  death,"- — literally^  "to  the  damnation  of 
death."  What  damnation  means  here,  is  defined  by 
the  sentence  itself,  viz  :  death  by  crucifixion.     And 


326  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

the  thief  rebuked  his  companion,  "  Dost  thou  not 
fear  God,  seeing  thou  art  in  the  same  damnation  ?  " 
i.  e.  of  death.  "  For  damnation  I  am  come  into  this 
world."  John  ix.  "  O  the  depth  of  the  riches  both 
of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God  !  how  un- 
searchable are  his  damnations,  and  his  ways  past 
finding  out."  Eom.  xi.  And  this  immediately  after 
announcing  the  goodness  of  God  in  the  final  restora- 
tion of  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  !  What  can  be  more 
decisive  against  the  common  interpretation  of  the  word 
"  damnation  ?  "  Is  it  likely  that  any  such  thought 
was  associated  with  the  term  in  the  mind  of  the  apos- 
tle ?  If  so,  would  he  not  have  chosen  some  other 
term  for  expressing  his  wonder  and  joy,  in  view  of 
the  great  ingathering  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  through 
the  grace  of  God  ? 

"  For  the  time  is  come  that  damnation  must  beijin 
at  the  house  of  God  (the  Christians)  ;  and  if  it  first 
beain  with  us,  what  shall  the  end  be  of  them  that 
obey  not  the  gospel  of  God  ?  And  if  the  righteous 
scarcely  be  saved,  where  shall  the  ungodly  and  the 
sinner  appear  ? "  1  Pet.  iv.  17.  In  this  case  the 
damnation  began  with  the  godly,  and  ended  with  the 
unsodlv,  and  v^as  the  same  in  both  cases.  And  it  is 
to  be  noted  that  this  was  1800  years  ago  ;  for  the 
apostle  says,  "  The  time  is  come  (i.  e.  when  he  was 
writing,)  that  damnation  must  begin  at  the  house  of 
God."  The  damnation  was  the  suffering  to  which 
the  Christians  were  subjected  by  the  persecutions  of 
the  Jews ;  and  the  calamities  which  afterward  came 
upon  the  Jews  themselves,  and  swept  them  away  in 
tiie  whirlwind  of  God's  judgment,  the  great  day  of 
liis  v/rath.     Gilpin,  of  the  English  Church,  has  ex- 


DOCTRINE  OF   DAMNATION.  327 

actly  expressed  tfie  meaning :  "  Thus,  amidst  the 
general  ruin  which  is  coming  upon  these  wicked 
times,  the  Christian  shall  have  his  share.  But  his 
afflictions  will  be  light,  in  comparison  of  that  great 
overthrow  which  shall  destroy  the  Jewish  nation."^ 

These  passages  are  enough  to  discover  to  us  the 
meaning  and  usage  of  the  words  translated  "  damn  " 
and  "  damnation "  in  the  New  Testament.  And 
nothing  can  be  plainer  to  the  honeat  and  unprejudiced 
mind,  than  that  the  original  Greek  words  never  had 
associated  with  them  the  same  horrible  ideas,  which 
are  so  universally  attached  to  the  English  words.  It 
is  not  possible  to  believe  that  if  the  disciples,  or  the 
people  of  that  age,  had  commonly '  employed  the 
words  hrino^  hrima^  krisis,  in  the  sense  in  which  the 
majority  of  Christians  now  employ  the  words  damn 
and  damnation,  that  they  would  so  often  and  so 
freely  have  applied  them  to  Jesus. 

Considering  the  present  popular  use  of  the  words, 
it  would  be  painful  and  oifensive  to  talk  of  Christ's 
being  damned,  or  of  his  being  delivered  to  the  dam- 
nation of  death.  Yet  the  evangelists  say  these 
things  without  any  hesitation  or  explanation ;  show- 
ing thereby  that  they  did  not  connect  with  the  words 
the  errors  and  revolting  dogmas  of  modern  Chris- 
tians. There  is  nothing  in  any  of  the  passages  where 
the  Greek  words  occur,  however  translated,  to  lead 
us  to  imagine  that  they  ever  thought  of  any  suffer- 
ing or  punishment  beyond  this  life.  They  employed 
them   in   reference    to  human  tribunals   and  punish- 

^  Paige's  Selections,  where  it  T.-ill  be  seen  that  the  same  view  is  taken 
by  other  eminent  orthodox  commentators,  as  Whitby,  Macknight, 
LiGUTFOOT,  the  Catholic  Calmet,  &c. 


^28  THEOLOGY    OF  UNIVERSALISM. 

ments ;  to  describe  the  conseqiienees  of  unbelief,  of 
blindness  of  mind  and  hardness  of  heart ;  to  desig- 
nate those  judgments  of  God  upon  individual  and 
national  wickedness,  which  they  saw  themselves  im 
this  world,  and  which  were  visible  to  all  who  had 
eyes  to  see. 

And  it  cannot  but  commend  itself  to  every  careful 
thinker,  that  where  such  tremendous  interests  are  at 
stake,  the  Holy  Spirit  would  certainly  be  direct  and 
positive  in  the  statement  of  the  matter.  Surely,  if 
it  were  intended  that  the  terrible  fact  of  a  future  life 
of  endless  woe  and  torment  should  be  revealed  as  a 
wamina:  to  the  race,  as  the  foreordained  lot  of  the 
wicked,  then  God  would  have  chosen  for  its  revela- 
tion terms  more  precipe  and  exclusive  in  their  sig- 
nification than  any  of  those  we  have  examined.  Nay, 
is  not  a  subject  of  such  vast  moment  to  all  mankind, 
worthy  of  a  language  of  its  own?  If  it  be  true  thafi 
any  are  to  be  '''  damned  "  in  the  sense  of  infinite,  un- 
ending misery,  and  true  that  all  are  in  danger  of  it, 
would  not  the  Spirit  consecrate  to  the  special  revela- 
tion of  this  awful  fact,  words  and  phrases  never  to  be 
used  for  any  other  purpose  ?  Where  it  is  of  such 
immense  importance  that  all  possibility  of  mistake 
should  be  excluded,  would  not  God  take  out,  and  set 
apart,  from  all  other  human  language,  the  specific 
terms  to  be  used  in  announcino:  and  enforeinor  this 
dreadful  truth  ?  and  say  to  all  the  world,  — 

"  These  arc  the  words  and  j^hrases  in  which  this 
doct7'ine  is  to  he  taught  —  they  are  sacred  to  this  pur- 
jyose.  Whenever,  therefore,  they  appear  on  the  pages' 
of  Inspiration^  let  it  be  known,  at  once,  of  all  inen^ 
that  they  mean  this,  and  never  anything  hut  thisyvizi 


RESURRECTION  OF  DAMNATION.  329 

A  LIFE  ACCURSED  OF  GOD;  A  FUTURE  LIFE  OF  TOR- 
MENT WITHOUT  MEASURE  AND  WITHOUT  END  !  " 

A  matter  of  such  fearful  interest  to  the  entire  race 
of  man,  demanded  something  of  this  sort.  We  have 
a  right,  when  the  whole  infinite  sweep  of  our  future 
being  is  concerned,  to  expect  that  a  just  God,  not 
to  say  a  merciful  Father,  would  be  thus  explicit  and 
positive  in  the  terms  chosen  for  the  revelation  of 
endless  punishment.  And  had  he  done  this,  which 
it  was  so  easy  to  do,  then  all  argument  and  debate, 
all  criticism  and  doubt,  would  have  been  shut  out 
from  the  be2:innin2:.  And  since  he  has  not  done  what 
it  was  so  easy  to  do,  and  what  justice  demanded,  there 
is  but  one  lawful  inference,  but  one  conclusion  per- 
mitted us,  and  that  is,  that  he  never  intended  to  re- 
veal such  a  doctrine,  simply  because  it  is  not  true. 

SECTION     II. 

RESURRECTION    OF    DAMNATION  —  AWAKING    TO     SHAME    AND    EVER- 
LASTING  CONTEMPT. 

There  is  one  passage  which  may  be  thought  to 
conflict  with  the  doctrine  of  the  preceding  section, 
inasmuch  as  it  speaks  of  a  damnation  in  connection 
with  the  resurrection ;  coming,  in  fact,  after  the  res- 
urrection. Not  the  resurrection,  we  might  reply,  but 
a  resurrection.  This  passage,  with  its  correlative  in 
Daniel,  will  now  receive  attention, 

*  Athanase  Coquekel,  the  distinguished  Protestant  preacher  of  Pa- 
ris, says:  "  Who  will  believe  that  the  eternity  of  punishment,  a  doctrine 
of  such  terrible  and  grave  importance,  can  depend,  in  any  sense,  upon 
trifles  of  criticism,  upon  variations  of  translation?  It  is  a  first  legiti- 
mate prejudice  against  such  a  dogma,  the  necessity  of  giving  it  such 
support;  and  I  cannot  but  think  that,  if  it  was  taught  in  the  Gospel,  it 
would  be  done  with  a  clearness  so  terrible  that  we  should  all  tremble 
ftt  it,  but  not  dispute  it" 


330  THEOLOGY  OF   UNITERSALISM. 

"  Marvel  not  at  this ;  for  the  hour  is  coming,  In 
the  which  all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  his 
voice,  and  shall  come  forth ;  they  that  have  done 
good,  unto  the  resurrection  of  life ;  and  they  that 
have  done  evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation.'^ 
John  V,  28,  29, 

That  the  Saviour  is  speaking  here  of  a  moral  ot 
spiritual,  and  not  of  a  literal  resurrection,  is  plain 
enough  from  the  entire  context ;  and  if  so,  the  dam- 
nation  is  in  this  world,  and  not  in  the  immortal  world 
to  which  a  literal  resurrection  introduces  us.  "  Mar- 
vel not  at  this,''  What?  The  declaration  he  had 
just  made,  — - '*  Yerily,  I  say  unto  you  the  hour  is 
coming,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the 
voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  they  that  hear  shall 
live."  Here  was  a  resurrection  which  had  actually 
commenced ;  and  the  only  difference  between  this 
and  that  mentioned  in  verses  28,  29,  was  that  the  first 
was  partial,  and  the  other  universal.  Both  were 
moral,  a  resurrection  from  ignorance,  unbelief  and 
spiritual  darkness,  to  knowledge,  faith  and  spiritual 
light  and  life,  consequent  upon  the  preaching  of 
Christ.  The  terms  set  over  against  each  other  as 
equivalents,  show  this — "  the  dead  "  in  the  one,  being 
those  that  "  are  in  the  graves "  in  the  other ;  and 
eomin<T  forth  to  "  the  resurrection  of  life "  in  one. 
answering  td  "  shall  live  "  in  the  other. 

And  the  parallel  is  seen  still  farther  in  the  state- 
ment preceding  these,  in  verse  24  —  "  Yerily  I  say 
unto  you,  he  that  heareth  my  word,  and  belicveth  on 
him  that  sent  me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall  not 
come  into  condemnation ;  but  is  passed  from  death 
unto   life."     Here    "life,"    or    "everlasting  life^"   ia 


HESUERECTION  OF  DAMNATION.  831 

§ametlilng  already  possessed  by  the  believer ;  and 
it  is  set  against  "  condemnation,"  which  is  the  equiva- 
lent of  the  "  damnation  "  in  verse  29,  showino;  that 
both  texts  refer  to  the  same  kind  of  a  resurrection^ 
one  actually  begun,  the  other  about  to  begin.  The 
expression,  "is  passed  from  death  to  life,"  shows  that 
the  "  death  "  and  the  '^  life,"  and  the  resurrection  or 
(he  passing  from  one  to  the  other,  are  all  figurative, 
and  not  literal,  —  something  which  takes  place  while 
the  persons  are  yet  in  the  body ;  the  resurrection 
being  the  result  of  faith  in  Christ, 

And  the  same  idea  is  re-stated  in  even  stronixer 
language  in  chapter  xi.  25,  26  :  "I  am  the  resurrec-^ 
tion  and  the  life ;  he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he 
were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live  ;  and  whosoever  liveth 
and  believeth  in  me,  shall  7ieucr  die^  Kow  that; 
Christ  is  here  speaking  of  moral  or  spiritual  life  and 
death,  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  those  who  believe  on 
him  do  die  naturally ;  and  also  by  the  fact  that  the 
literally  dead  do  not  rise  or  live  because  they  believe 
in  Christ  —  otherwise,  only  believers  would  have  a 
resurrection.  But  the  dead  spoken  of  here  are  raised 
to  life  by  faith  or  belief  in  Christ ;  while  those  living 
and  believing  in  him  never  die  the  death  here  spoken 
of.  It  is  plain,  therefore,  that  the  terms  are  used 
figuratively  —  '*  death  "  representing  a  state  of  unbe- 
lief and  spiritual  blindness  ;  and  "  life,"  or  the  com- 
ing forth  to  life,  the  opposite  of  this. 

The  expression  "  in  the  graves  "  is  no  stronger  than 
the  phrase  '*  the  dead."  But  if  it  were,  its  counter- 
part is  found  where  it  cannot  possibly  refer  to  the 
literally  dead,  in  such  passages  as  the  following : 
*'  And  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  can  these  bonea 


832  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

live?  And  I  answered^  O  Lord  God,  tlioii  kuowest. 
...  So  I  prophesied  as  I  was  commanded,  and  as  I 
prophesied  there  was  a  noise,  and  behold !  a  shaking, 
and  the  bones  came  together,  bone  to  his  bone.  .  .  . 
And  the  sinews  and  the  flesh  came  upon  them,  and 
the  skin  covered  them,  .  .  .  and  the  breath  came  into 
them,  and  they  lived  and  stood  up  upon  their  feet,  an 
exceeding  great  army  I  Then  he  said  unto  me.  Son 
of  man,  these  hones  are  the  whole  house  of  Israel. 
Therefore  prophesy,  and  say  unto  them,  Thus  saith 
the  Lord,  Behold,  O  my  people,  I  will  open  your 
graves,  and  cause  you  to  come  up  out  of  your  graves, 
and  bring  you  into  the  land  of  Israel.  And  ye  shall 
know  t]iat  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  have  opened  your 
graves,  O  my  people,  and  brought  you  up  out  of  your 
graves,  and  shall  put  my  spirit  in  you,  and  ye  shall 
live,  and  I  shall  place  you  in  your  own  land,"  Eze- 
kiel  xxxviiv 

Here  the  prophet  represents  the  political  overthrow 
of  the  Jews^  and  their  captivity  in  Babylon,  under 
the  fioiure  of  beins^  dead  and  in  their  jxraves  ;  and  their 
deliverance  from  captivity  and  restoration  to  their 
own  land,  as  a  resurrection,  a  coming  forth  to  life. 
And  the  Saviour  represents  the  gross  darkness  and 
unbelief  of  the  Jews  and  Heathen,  under  the  fio^ure 

'  CD 

of  being  dead  and  in  their  graves ;  and  their  awaken- 
ing from  this  state  through  the  preaching  of  the  Gos- 
pel, under  the  figure  of  a  resurrection.'     Those  who, 

'  The  same  figure  is  common  -with  us,  as  the  following  from  Watts 
will  show: — 

"  But  where  the  Gospel  comes, 
It  sheds  diviner  liglit, 
It  calls  dead  sinners  from  their  iombst 
And  givcS)  the  blind  their  sight." 


RESURRECTION  OF  DAMNATION.  333 

m  tills  state  of  ignorance  and  darkness,  had  followed 
what  light  they  possessed,  and  done  good  as  far  as 
they  knew,  on  hearing  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  man, 
or  the  Gospel,  would  find  their  conduct  approved, 
and  would  rejoicingly  come  forth  from  the  grave  of 
ignorance  and  unbelief  to  a  resurrection  of  life;  but 
those  who  had  done  evil,  hearing  the  searchhig 
truths  of  the  Gospel  would  find  their  evil  deeds  re- 
proved, and  would  come  forth  to  the  resurrection  of 
damnation.  For  example  :  Cornelius,  while  dead,  or 
in  the  grave  of  pagan  ignorance,  did  good  as  far  as 
he  knew,  lived  a  life  of  charity  and  love ;  hence, 
when  he  heard  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  man  in  the 
truth  preached  by  Peter,  he  came  forth  to  the  resur- 
rection of  life.  In  other  words,  the  Gospel  approved 
his  conduct,  and  God  blessed  him  for  his  faithful  im- 
provement of  his  one  talent.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Pharisees,  Priests  and  Scribes  came  forth  at  the  voice 
of  the  Son  of  man,  to  the  resurrection  of  damnation, 
for  the  false,  hypocritical  and  wicked  life  they  had 
lived,  though  the  very  oracles  of  God  were  in  their 
keeping.  The  same  thing,  in  fact,  we  see  now,  every 
day,  where  the  Gospel  is  preached  to  the  mixed  mul- 
titude of  o;ood  and  evil  men.  "  He  that  belie veth  not 
is  condemned  (damned)  already''  by  the  truth.  "  And 
this  is  the  condemnation,  (or  damnation,  the  same 
original  word  which  occurs  in  the  phrase  '  resurrec- 
tion of  damnation,')  that  light  is  come  into  the  world, 
and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light,  because 
their  deeds  were  evil."     John  iii.  18,  19. 

These  various  testimonies  establish  the  fact  that 
the  death,  resurrection,  life  and  damnation  here  spoken 
of  are   all  realized  in  this  world,  while   yet  in  the 


oo4  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

losli ;  aul  tliorefjre,  tliat  Christ  is  not  speaking  of  a 
literal  resurrection,  nor  of  a  damnation  to  come  after 
the  soul  enters  the  spiritual  world. 

And  now  let  us  proceed  to  notice  the  passage  in 
Daniel,  where,  though  the  words  "damnation"  and 
"  resurrection  "  do  not  occur,  we  find  what  are,  per- 
haps, their  equivalents  —  "  awaking  from  the  dust, 
and  "  everlasting  contempt."  And  since  the  text  is 
put  down  in  the  margin  of  all  our  Bibles  as  parallel 
witli  the  preceding^  and  the  resemblance  in  language 
and  metaphor  is  so  marked,  it  seems  fitting  to  give  it 
an  examination  here. 

"And, many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the 
earth  shall  awake,  some  to  everlasting  life  and  some 
to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt."  xii.  2.  This  is 
probably  a  prophetic  description  of  what  would  take 
place  when  the  old  dispensation  of  the  Law  should  be 
abolished,  and  the  new  dispensation  of  the  Gospel  set 
up  in  its  place.  The  thought  is  precisely  that  of 
John  V.  just  reviewed ;  only  that  the  prophet  seems 
to  have  more  special  reference  to  the  Jews,  while  the 
Saviour,  who  doubtless  had  the  language  of  Daniel 
in  mind,  extends  the  application  to  Jews  and  Gentiles 
alike. 

The  meaning  of  the  phrase,  "  sleeping  in  the  dust 
of  the  earth,"  is  the  same  as  that  of  our  Lord,  "  all 
that  are  in  the  graves"-;  indicating  a  state  of  spirit- 
ual sloth,  stupidity,  ignorance  and  unbelief  And 
the  time  of  awaking  from  this,  or  of  the  resurrection 
licre  intimated,  is  definitely  fixed  by  a  comparison  of 
the  words  ot  the  prophet  with  those  of  the  Saviour 
in  Matt.  xxiv. 

Daniel  says,  "  And  there  shall  be  a  time  of  trouble, 


EESUEPvECTlON  OF  DA^INATIOX.  335 

such  as  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation,  even  to 
that  same  time ;  and  at  that  time  thy  people  shall  be 
delivered,  every  one  that  shall  be  found  written  in  the 
book.  And  many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the  dust  of 
the  earth  shall  awake,  some  to  everlasting  life,  and 
some  to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt."  xii.  1-3. 
And  in  verse  11  he  speaks  of  the  time  when  "  tlie 
abomination  that  maketh  desolate  shall  be  set  up." 
This  is  the  connection  ;  and  it  will  be  seen  that  this 
awakins:  to  "  everlastino- life  "  and  "  everlastinoj  shame 
and  contempt,"  was  to  take  place  when  there  should 
be  a  time  of  trouble  such  as  never  was  before,  and 
the  abomination  of  desolation  should  be  set  up  in  tlie 
holy  place. 

Now  the  Saviour  refers  to  this  very  language  of 
the  prophet,  and  fixes  its  fulfilment  at  the  time  of  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  abolition  of  the 
Law  dispensation.  Speaking  of  this  event,  he  says  : 
"  When  ye,  therefore,  shall  see  the  abomination  spoken 
of  by  Daniel  the  prophet,  stand  in  the  holy  place, 
then  let  them  which  be  in  Judea  flee  into  the  moun- 
tains —  (if  the  end  of  the  material  world  Avere  meant, 
what  security  would  it  give  to  flee  into  t\\Q,  moun- 
tains? It  is  evident  that  the  judgment  referred  to 
was  the  destruction  of  the  city,  fleeing  from  which 
into  the  country,  or  into  the  mountpans,  they  would 
find  refuge  and  safety)  —  for  then  shall  be  great  tribu- 
lation, such  as  was  not  since  the  beginning  of  the 
world  to  this  time  ;  no,  nor  ever  shall  be.  .  .  .  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  this  gcLeratloii  shall  not  pass  till  all 
thes3  thino-s  be  fulfilled."     Matt.  xxlv.  15-34. 

o 

Daniel  and  the  Saviour  botli  speak  of  the  abomina- 
tion of  desolation ;  and  both  speak  of  a  time  of  trcu- 


oo'j  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

ble  or  tribulation  such  as  was  never  known  before  — 
and  while  Daniel  says  that  this  resurrection  of  some 
to  '^  everlasting  life,"  and  of  others  to  "  shame  and 
everlasting  contempt,"  shall  take  place  '''at  that  time^' 
tlic  time  of  this  great  tribulation ;  Christ  fixes  "  that 
time^''  by  saying  it  should  come  before  the  generation 
then  living  passed  away.  And  history  records  the 
truth  of  the  declaration,  by  showing  that  within  that 
period  the  Law  was  abolished  and  the  Gospel  king- 
dom set  up  ;  the  faithful  and  believing  entering  into 
the  freedom,  security  and  joy  of  a  new  life,  while 
their  old  ])ersecutors  and  enemies  fell  into  the  "  shame 
and  everlasting  contempt,"  the  damnation  of  which 
Christ  speaks  in  John,  and  which  they  still  suffer,  a 
by-word,  a  reproach  and  a  hissing  among  the  nations. 
And  thus  the  words  of  Jesus  in  Matt,  xxiii.  34,  are 
exactly  fulfilled :  '•  Ye  serpents,  ye  generation  of 
vipers,  how  can  ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell  ?  .  .  . 
That  upon  you  may  come  all  the  righteous  blood  shed 
upon  the  earth.  .  .  .  Yerily  I  say  unto  you,  all  these 
things  shall  come  upon  this  generation.''^ 

Substantially,  therefore,  the  two  passages  under 
review  refer  to  the  same  kind  of  a  resurrection,  and 
to  the  same  kind  of  damnation.  That  of  the  prophet 
is  more  restricted  in  its  purpose  and  application,  being 
confined  to  a  particular  people  and  a  particular  event ; 
while  that  of  the  Saviour  refers  not  only  to  the  peo- 
ple who  then  heard  his  voice,  and  to  events  then 
happening,  but  to  all  nations  and  all  times  wdiere  and 
when  the  Gospel  should  be  preached. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

EVERLASTING,    ETERNAL,    FOREVER,    IN    CONNECTION   WITH   PUN- 
ISHMENT. 

SECTIONI. 

CLASSIC  USAGE  AND  LEXICOGRAPHY. 

It  IS  worthy  of  note  that  the  words  Aiofv  and 
Jicitvios,  everlasting,  eternal,  forever,  occur  not  less 
than  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  times  in  the  New 
Testament,  and  yet  are  applied  to  punishment  only 
ni7ie  times.  The  expression  "  everlasting  punish- 
ment "  is  found  once  only,  "  eternal  damnation^'  once 
only,  "everlasting  destruction"  once  only, and  "  ever- 
lastino^  fire  "  twice. 

If  these  phrases  do  really  set  forth  a  life  of  endless 
pain,  and  Jesus  came  to  announce  this  as  the  doom  of 
the  wicked,  it  is  beyond  measure  astonishing  that  he 
shoukl  mention  it  in  this  form  only  once  or  twice  in 
the  whole  course  of  his  ministry !  Yet  this  is  the 
fact,  according  to  Matthew  and  Mark  ;  and  if  we  had 
only  the  gospels  of  Luke  and  John,  we  should  have 
no  proof  that  he  ever  mentioned  it  at  all,  for  they  did 
not  attach  sufficient  importance  to  the  fact  to  record 
it  in  their  account  of  his  teachings  !  Is  it  reasonable 
to  suppose  that,  if  these  phrases  had  such  a  terrible 
meaning,  they  would  have  forgotten  or  neglected  to 
Bay  that  Christ  uttered  them  ?     If  they  had  under- 


333  THEOLOGY  OF   UXIVERSALISM 

stood  Ilim  to  mean  this,  would  not  the  special  form  of 
speech  he  used  have  graven  itself  into  their  memory  ? 

And  again :  if  the  phrases  in  review  were  chosen 
of  Jesus  to  express  the  dreadful  doctrine  of  endless 
torment,  is  it  probable  that  Paul,  Peter  and  Jude 
would  employ  them  only  once  in  their  epistles  ?  and 
John  and  James  not  at  all  ?  Think  for  a  moment  of 
the  faithful,  earnest,  out-spoken  Paul,  really  believing 
in  this  doctrine,  and  believing  that  Christ  taught  it  in 
the  phrases  "  everlasting  punishment  "  and  "  eternal 
damnation,"  and  writing  thirteen  or  fourteen  epistles 
on  religious  doctrines,  and  preaching  everywhere  to 
Jews  and  Gentiles,  and  yet  only  once  using  this  lan- 
guage !     It  is  beyond  belief.^ 

It  must  be  confessed  by  every  just-minded  person, 
that  these  facts  furnish  a  strong  presumptive  argu- 
ment that  the  words  and  phrases  are  not  employed  in 
the  Scriptures  to  describe  a  condition  of  unending 
suffering.  They  are  In  themselves  weighty  evidence 
that  the  Greek  dicoi'toi,  or  the  English  "  everlasting," 
is  expressive  of  indefinite  rather  than  endless  time. 
And  this  brings  us  to  the  inquiry  — 

What  is  the  memimg  of  the  Greek  Aiuv  and 
Jicoycoi,  rendered  "  everlasting,^^  "  eternal,^'  '''forever,^^ 
&c.,'  in  the  New  Testament  ? 

Usafye  determines  the  meanin":  of  words.  Lexi- 
cogrnphers  do  not  create  meanings  or  definitions,  but 
report  them  as  gathered  from  the  usage  of  the  popu- 

*  And  the  reply  cannot  be  made  here,  that  is  sometimes  offei'ed  in  regard 
to  the  word  Gehenna  (hell,)  that  it  is  a  Hebrew  word,  and  therefore 
would  not  be  understood  by  the  Gentiles.  The  words  reviewed  in  tJie 
text  are  pure  Greek,  and  if  the  apostles  had  believed  the  doctrine  of 
endless  woe,  and  believed  these  words  expressed  it,  they  would  doubt- 
less have  been  in  constant  use. 


MEANING    OF    "  EVERLASTING,"    ETC.  330 

Jar  \yriters,  and  standard  authors,  of  the  hinguage. 
The  only  method  of  understanding  the  current  and 
real  value  of  the  words  in  review,  is  to  examine  the 
writings  of  Greek  authors,  and  learn  how  they  used 
them,  or  what  meaning  was  put  upon  them  in  the 
ordinary  speech  of  the  people.  This  our  space  will 
permit  us  to  do  only  to  a  very  limited  extent ;  but 
the  examples  shall  be  fairly  reported,  from  various 
sources,  so  that  the  reader  may  have  materials  for 
forming  a  correct  judgment  in  the  case. 

Aristotle  has  been  appealed  to  by  Theologians  as 
final  authority  in  reo-ard  to  the  orio^in  and  meanino- 
of  these  words.  The  substance  of  the  passage  so 
much  relied  on  is  that  aion  is  composed  of  aei  and  on, 
signifying  always  being ;  or,  perhaps,  continuous 
being,  and  closes  with  the  following  :  "  And  the  in- 
finite time  of  all  things,  and  the  period  comprehend- 
ing that  infinity,  is  aion,  deriving  its  name  from  aei 
einai.  Whence  also  it  appears  that  it  is  applied  to 
other  things,  to  some  accurately,  but  to  others  in  the 
lax  si^-nification  of  beinor,  or  even  life."  ' 

Now  let  us  suppose  that  Aristotle  intends  to  define 
aion  and  aionios  as  meaning  primarily  and  radically 
infinite  time,  yet  this  does  not  settle  the  usage  of  the 
words,  nor  their  meaning  in  the  New  Testament. 
And  it  is  precisely  at  this  point  that  theological  critics 
liave  made  their  great  mistake.  It  is  not  the  defini- 
tion which  the  critic  may  force  upon  the  words,  or  the 
'philologist  wring  from  their  roots,  but  the  popular 
sense  and  usage,  that  we  have  to  deal  with.  Christ 
did  not  preach   to  philosophers,  scholars  and  critics, 

^  Be  CcbIo,  Lib.  i.  caput  9.  See,  also,  Be  Mu7ido,  cap.  11,  where 
the  definition  is  repeated. 


340  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

familiar  witli  all  the  niceties  of  lexicography,  and  all 
the  delicate  shades  of  definition  m-oundcd  on  the 
origin  and  composition  of  words  ;  but  to  the  common 
people  speaking  the  language  of  common  life,  and 
familiar  only  with  the  ordinary  meaning  and  popular 
use  of  words. 

And  even  Aristotle  himself,  whatever  his  scholarly 
exegesis,  shows  in  the  very  passage  in  which  he 
gives  it,  what  is  the  popular  usage  of  the  woi'ds. 
"For  the  period,"  says  he,  "  which  comprehends  the 
time  of  every  one's  life,  beyond  which  nothing  exists 
according  to  nature,  is  called  his  aion'^  —  i.  e.,  his 
period,  existence,  being,  life-time.  This  concedes  all 
we  ever  claimed  or  asked.  No  matter  whether  this 
is  a  critically  accurate  use  of  the  term  or  not ;  the 
only  question  is.  Was  it  a  current  use  ?  did  the  peo- 
ple employ  it  in  this  sense  of  indefinite  time,  or  time 
limited  by  the  subject  to  which  it  was  applied  ?  Aris- 
totle himself  answers  the  question,  and  shows  us  that 
the  words  were  applied  to  persons  and  things,  to 
periods  and  eras,  temporary  by  their  very  nature, 
lasting  longer  or  shorter,  according  to  circumstances. 

The  same  rule  holds  good  in  all  languages.  Even 
admitting  the  absolute  definition,  all  words  have  a 
popular  definition.  Take  the  word  "  endless,"  or 
"  infinite,"  or  any  similar  term,  and  the  fact  will  be 
obvious.  How  often  we  hear  of  "  endless  talkers," 
"  an  endless  controversy,"  cQ:c. ;  of  "  infinite  folly,"  of 
the  "  infinite  tenderness "  of  a  mother  for  her  off- 
spring, of  something  "  infinitely  grand,"  or  "  infi- 
nitely beautiful."  Now,  suppose  one  should  go  into 
an  elaborate  argument,  or  a  learned  and  critical  exe- 
gesis, to  prove  that  the  primary  and  radical  meaning 


MEANING   OF    *' EVEBLA.ST1NG,"    ETC.  341 

of  tlie  word  was  absolute  infinity  of  time  or  measure. 
It  would  determine  nothing^  as  to  their  meanino;  in 
any  given  case.  Here  is  a  popular  use  of  the  words, 
and  the  meaning  in  any  special  case,  limited  or  un- 
limited, must  be  determined  by  the  subject  and  the 
connection.  Common  sense  has  more  to  do  with  it 
than  pliilology. 

But  aside  from  this,  a  little  examination  will  show 
that  the  very  language  in  which  the  great  philosopher 
has  attempted  his  definition,  discovers  that  the  sub- 
stantive meaning  of  the  word  is,  after  all,  completeness 
of  time  or  being,  and  not  endless  time.  Observe  how 
he  connects  his  statements  :  "  The  period  which  com- 
prehends the  time  of  every  one's  life  is  called  his 
aion  "  —  and  then  immediately  adds  :  "  For  this  rea- 
son^ therefore^  the  period  of  the  whole  heaven,  even 
the  infinite  time  of  all  things  and  the  period  compre- 
hending that  infinity,  is  aion^  immortal  and  divine,  de- 
riving its  name  from  aei  einai.''^  For  what  reason  is 
infinite  time  or  eternity  called  aion?  Because,  he 
says,  "  the  period  which  comprehends  the  time  of 
every  one's  life  is  called  his  aion^''  —  therefore  in- 
finite time,  or  the  period  embracing  the  life  of  the 
universe,  is  called  its  aion. 

The  very  structure  of  the  sentence  shows  that  the 
word  designates  the  period  or  complete  life  of  any  per- 
son or  thing,  or  the  time  of  its  being,  whether  longer 
or  shorter ;  and  therefore,  as  infinite  time  or  eternity 
is  the  period  of  the  heavens,  or  the  time  of  their 
duration,  it  is  called  the  immortal  and  divine  aion» 
And  the  very  use  of  the  descriptive  word  "im- 
mortal," shows  the  necessity  felt  of  adding  strength  to 
the  meaning  of  aion  ;  and  establishes  the  fact  that  it 


o'iZ  THEOLOGY   OF   UXIVERSALiSM. 

takes  its  meaning  in  this  casCo  as  in  all  others,  from 
the  subject,  thing  or  person  to  which  it  is  joined ;  and 
when  applied  to  infinite  time,  takes  the  sense  of  eter^ 
nity  —  is  immortal  or  ever*enduring^  because  it  is  so 
applied* 

And  this  position  is  singularly  affirmed  by  Aris* 
totle  in  another  passage  from  the  De  3£u7ido^  where 
he  has  the  expression  l|  aiSvo9  uiiouoroi  &U  tregop  ulSfa^ 
"from  one  interminable  oAon  to  another  aion.'^^ 
Now,  if  the  radical  meaning  of  the  word  is  end-^ 
less,  or  absolute  eternity,  why  did  he  add  another 
word  to  increase  the  force  of  it?  What  sense  is 
there  in  saying  "  from  one  endless  eternity  to  another 
endless  eternity  ?  "  And  even  with  the  adjective 
"  interminable,"  he  does  not  express  the  idea  of  abso-^ 
lute  eternity,  duration  without  limit  or  end  ;  other- 
wise there  could  not  be  "  another  ''  such  period^  which 
the  sentence  affirms  I 

So  much,  therefore,  for  Aristotle's  famous  defini- 
tion, of  which  so  great  use  has  been  made  by  theolo- 
gians. His  own  usage  is  against  his  definition,  and 
shows  that  however  he  w^rote  as  a  scholar  and  critic, 
he  talked  like  other  people,  and  used  words  in  their 
popular  sense.^  And  this  is  the  real  object  of  in- 
quiry ;  the  sense  which  tJie  people  put  upon  these 
words,  the  meaning  attached  to  them  in  the  ordinary 

1  There  ia  another  passage  from  Aristotle  curiously  confirming  the 
above.  He  is  showing  that  "  there  are  some  d'.fficult  questions  which 
>ve  cannot  -with  certainty  answer,"  as  for  example  — "  whether  the 
world  is  eternal  or  not,"xorTKo;  uiSiog  i^  or.  Now  if  Aristotle  regard- 
ed aionios  as  the  only  proper  word  to  express  eternity,  why  did  he  not 
use  it  here?  No  doubt  he  is  speaking  here  of  absolutely  endless  dvirationj 
and  yet,  instead  of  employing  aionios  to  express  it,  he  selects  a  ditfer- 
ent  word  altogether,  aidios.  —  TropiCt  Lib,  i.  cap.  xi.,  in  Grotius  dt 
VcrilalCy  Lib.  i,  §  vii.    JVotc, 


MEANING   OF    "  EVERLASTING,"   ETC.  843 

business,  social  and  religious  conversation  of  the  mul- 
titude. 

That  the  popular  sense  of  aion  and  aionios  is  that 
of  indefinite  time,  limited  and  determined  by  the  sub- 
ject or  connection,  can  be  abundantly  demonstrated. 
Every  one  familiar  with  Greek  and  Ecclesiastical 
literature  knows  this  to  be  the  case.  The  Words  con* 
stantly  occur  in  this  sense.  Homer,  Herodotus, 
Isocrates  and  Xenophen  employ  aion  in  the  sense  of 
the  Latin  aevum,  the  life  of  a  man,  his  ajre,  an  ao-e» 
Herodotus  and  Sophocles  both  have  the  expression 
telutesai  ton  aiona,  "  to  end  one's  life,"  or  die.  In  a 
poem,  or  Hymn  to  Jove,  is  found  the  phrase  o  megistos 
aion^  "the  greatest  age  or  duration";  certainly  not 
"the  greatest  eternity."  Plato  speaks  of  metJiQ 
aionios^  "  constant  drunkenness,"  not  surely  drunk* 
enncss  lasting  through  eternity.^  Diodorus  Siculus 
has  the  phrase  *'  ton  apeiron  aiona^^  "  unlimited,"  or 
"  indefinite  time."  But  if  aion  is  itself  infinite  time, 
where  is  the  need  of  aj)ciron  ?  It  is  the  same  with 
Aristotle's  atermonos^  both  showing  that  aion  re- 
quires the  addition  of  an  adjective,  or  its  equivalent, 
to  express  absolute  eternity.^  Lexicographers  uni- 
versally recognize  this  every  day  sense  of  the  words^ 
some  of  them  not  even  mentioning  eternity  as  a 
meaning  at  all  |  while  others  give  "  age,"  or  any  com- 
plete period  of  time,  without  regard  to  its  length,  for 
the  primary  signification.  As  an  example,  Donnegan 
defines   the  words  thus:  "^^o?i  — time;  a  space   of 

"■Stephens'  Thesaurus  G racce  LingucE;  Uobeut  Constant's  Lex- 
icon.  See,  also,  Grotius  de  Veritate,  pp.39,  315,  and  the  notes  and 
citations  scattered  through  the  book. 

-  Diod.  Sic.  i.  51.  See  the  whole  passage,  where  **  the  sepulchre," 
uidious  oikous,  is  synonymous  with  apeiron  aiona  en  adou — hades* 


244  THKOLOGY    OF   UXIVERSALISMe 

time;  life-time  and  life;  the  ordinary  period  of  a 
man's  life ;  the  age  of  man  ;  man's  estate  ;  a  long 
period  of  time  ;  eternity  ;  the  spinal  marrow ;  (e^s 
ton  aiona^  to  a  very  long  period,  to  eternity ;  (apo 
aionos^  from,  or  in  the  memory  of  man.)  Aionios  —^ 
of  long  duration,  eternal^  lasting,  permanent." 

Schleusner,  in  his  Lexicon  of  the  New  Testament, 
defines  Aion  as  follows  :  "  Any  space  of  time,  whe- 
ther longer  or  shorter,  past,  present,  or  future,  to  he 
determined  hy  the  pe7'szns  or  things  spohcn  of^  and 
the  scope  of  the  subjects  ;  the  life  or  age  of  man ; 
any  space  in  wdiich  we  measure  human  life,  from 
birth  to  death."  This  is  precisely  our  position  ;  that 
the  meaning  of  the  word  is  to  be  determined  by  the 
Bcope  of  the  subject,  by  the  nature  of  the  things  or 
persons  spoken  of.  If  we  speak  of  the  Aion  or  "  life 
time,"  of  God,  it  takes  on  the  meaning  of  absolute 
eternity,  takes  it  from  the  very  nature  of  God  ;  but 
when  we  gpeak  of  the  aio7i  or  life  time  of  man,  its 
meaning  is  bounded  by  his  "  three-score  years  and 
ten."  Hence  that  Orthodox  scholar  and  commenta- 
tor, Micknight,  says,  "  these  w^ords  being  ambigu- 
ous, are  always  to  be  understood  according  to  the 
nature  and  circumstances  of  the  things  to  which  they 
are  applied."  And  though  he  compels  them  into  the 
service  of  endless  punishment,  he  frankly  says,  "  At 
the  same  time,  I  must  be  so  candid  as  to  acknowledge 
that  the  use  of  these  terms,  forever,  eternal,  and  ever- 
lasting, in  other  passages  of  Scripture,  show  that 
they  who  understand  them  in  a  limited  sense,  when 
applied  to  punishment,  put  no  forced  interpretation 
upon  them."  '  Olshausen  is  to  the  same  point ;  that 
»  "  Truth  of  the  Gospel  History,"  p.  28. 


MEANING  OF   "EVERLASTING,"   ETC.  345 

the  word  is  ambiguous,  and  cannot  be  relied  on  in  the 
argument  for  endless  punishment.^  And  John  Fos- 
ter says,  that  "  the  terms  do  not  necessarily  and  abso- 
lutely signify  an  interminable  duration."  ^ 

These  authorities  prove  that  the  central  and  common 
si<^nification  of  the  words  is  indefinite^  and  not  endless, 
time.  And  I  repeat  and  enforce  the  Important  point, 
that  this  is  the  meaning  with  which  we  have  to  do,  if 
we  would  Uiiderstand  the  Xew  Testament.  We  are 
to  inquire,  not  how  Aristotle  defines  them,  but  how 
the  people  employed  and  understood  them  ;  for,  as 
remarked,  the  sermons  and  addresses  of  Jesus  were 
in  the  popular  language  of  the  day;  and  the  New 
Testament  was  not  written  to  scholars  by  scholars, 
but  to  the  common  people,  by  men  mostly  from  their 

*  "  Commontary  on  sla  against  the  Holy  Ghost."  See  also  the  Lex- 
icons of  PtOBiNSON,  Pickering,  Grove,  and  others. 

="'  Letter  to  a  young  Minister,  on  the  duration  of  Future  Punish- 
ment." Dr.  Doddridge,  so  well  known  among  "  Evangelical"  sects 
for  his  piety  and  learning,  says:  "  We  cannot  pretend  to  decide  a 
"priori^  or  previous  to  the  event,  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  punishments 
of  hell  must  and  will  certainly  be  eternal;"  by  which  he  meant  endless. 
Of  course  he  did  not  believe  that  aioaios  meant  endless,  nor  that  the 
Bible  revealed  the  doctrine;  otherwise  we  could  "  pretend  to  decide." 
*'  Before  the  event" — what  a  curious  idea!  in  other  words,  we  cannot 
decide  that  they  will  suffer  endlessly,  until  they  have  suffered  endlessly 
—and  as  that  time  will  never  come,  the  doctrine  can  never  be  proved! 
Theological  Lectures,  Prop.  163.  Dr.  Isaac  Watts,  so  celebrated 
for  his  hymns,  was  in  doubt  regarding  the  absolute  eternity  of  punish- 
ment. He  says:  "  I  do  not  think  we  ought  usually,  when  we  speak 
concerninf^  creatures,  to  affirm  positively,  that  their  existence  shall  be 
equal  to  that  of  the  blessed  God,  especially  icith  regard  to  the  duration 
of  punishment.'"—  World  to  Come,  in  his  Works,  i.  732.  Edit.  1753. 
There  is  a  look  in  this  toward  annihilation.  Southet,  in  his  Memoir 
of  Watts,  thinks  he  agreed  with  Origen  and  the  Universalists  in  re- 
gard to  punishment.—  Biblical  Repos.  v.  253.  Sacred  Classics,  ix. 
59.  Sec  Whittemore's  excellent  Modern  History  for  more  concerning 
these  eminent  men,  i.  211-216. 


S46  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

own  number.     And  the  next  step  will  bring  us  still 
closer  to  this  point. 

SECTION       II. 

JEWISH-GREEK      USAGE. 

By  the  expression  here  employed,  "  Jewish- Greek 
usajre,"  is  intended,  the  use  of  these  words  by  au- 
thors who  were  Jews  by  birth  and  religion,  but  who 
wrote  in  Greek.  Of  this  number  were  Philo  and 
Josephus,  who,  Hke  Paul  and  Peter,  and  the  Evan- 
gelists, were  born  and  educated  in  the  Jewish  faith, 
but  spoke  and  wrote  in  the  Greek  tongue.  Josephus 
was  contemporary  with  the  apostles,  and,  therefore,  is 
unquestionable  authority  for  the  popular  usage  of 
aion  and  alonios,  in  the  times,  and  among  the  peo- 
ple of  the  New  Testament.  They  occur  frequently 
in  his  works,  and  are  applied  generally  to  the  things 
of  this  life,  to  things  or  periods  of  comparatively  short 
duration.  Thus,  he  speaks  of  the  everlasting  (^aion- 
ios^}  reputation  of  Herod ;  of  the  everlasting  memo- 
rial he  raised  to  his  name  in  re-building  the  temple, 
which  "  everlasting  memorial  "  was  destroyed  when 
he  wrote ;  of  the  everlasting  worship  of  the  temple, 
which  he  says,  in  the  same  sentence,  had  come  to  an 
end  ;  of  the  everlasting  name  the  patriarchs  left  be- 
hind them ;  of  the  everlasting  glory  of  the  Jewish 
nation  ;  of  the  everlasting  imprisonment  to  which  the 
tyrant  John  was  condemned  by  the  Pomans,  &c. 
And  he  calls  the  period  from  the  giving  of  the  Law 
to  the  time  he  was  writing  a  long  aion.  * 

*  Expositor,  vol.  iii.  7-10,  &  vol.  i.  440,  Against  Appion,  Lib.  i., 
Oro'ius  dc  Vcrilate,  Lib.  iii.  §  16. 


"everlasting"  —  JEWISH-GREEK.  847 

These  examples  show  the  common  usage  of  the 
word  aionios,  "  evcrlastmg,"  and  that  Josephus, 
though  a  scholar,  constantly  employs  the  term  in  this 
popular  sense.  And  Philo,  who  was  also  contempora- 
ry with  the  apostles,  though  his  writings  are  more 
philosophical  and  abstruse,  uses  it  in  the  same  way. 
For  example,  he  says  of  those  who  promise  assistance 
and  do  not  render  it,  that  they  expose  themselves  to 
"  hatred  and  everlasting  punishment "  from  those 
they  injure,  y-olaan  diajno^,  the  very  words  used  in 
Matt.  XXV.  46,  "  these  shall  go  away  into  everlasting 
punishment."^  The  everlasting  punishment  which 
the  injured  were  able  to  inflict  in  such  case,  could 
not  extend  beyond  this  life ;  and  so  the  example 
shows  not  only  the  current  use  of  the  word  "  ever- 
lasting," but  also  of  the  more  important  phrase, 
"  everlasting  punishment."  So  in  speaking  of  the 
milk  which  nature  prepares  in  the  breast  of  the  dam 
for  her  young,  he  calls  it  proof  of  an  "  everlasting 
and  perfect  sagacity."  Of  course,  all  he  means  by 
aionios  in  this  case,  i^  far-reaching^  seeing  a  long  way 
forward.  And  he  employs  the  word,  also,  frequently, 
in  the  sense  of  constant^  continuous^  uninterrupted. 

It  is  plain,  therefore,  from  the  writings  of  these 
two  Jewish  authors,  who  lived  and  wrote  in  the  times 
of  the  New  Testament,  and  one  of  them  among  the 
very  people  to  w^hom  it  was  addressed,  that  the 
words  in  review  were  in  common  use  to  express  any 
len£][th  of  time,  lonc^er  or  shorter,  accordincr  to  the 
circumstances ;  that  they  were  continually  applied  to 
the  persons,  things  and  affairs  of  this  world,  to  events 

^  Fragmeniay  Tom.  ii.,  Edit.  1742.     Universahst  Quarterly,  vol.  ii 
132  438. 


348  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

or  conditions  whose  duration  was  bounded  by  Che 
limits  of  this  life.  ^ 

SECTION     III. 

USAGE     OF     THE     CHURCH     FATHERS. 

Under  this  head  I  shall  present  a  few  examples 
from  the  early  Fathers  of  the  Church.  Ignatius 
has  the  following,  in  speaking  of  the  Saviour, 
e(puvBg5)dj]  ToTi  d'icooiv^  "  he  was  manifested  to  the 
ages,"  certainly  not  to  the  "  eternities.''  And  this 
plural  form  is  frequent  among  all  Greek  writers,  clas- 
sic, New  Testament,  and  ecclesiastical.  JEusehius^ 
the  historian,  speaking  of  the  Phoenician  philosophy 
as  set  forth  by  Sanchoniathon,  says  of  the  darkness 
and  chaos  which  preceded  creation,  "  these  were  in- 
finite (a.Tffo«,)  and  for  a  long  time  {diu  nolijv  aiSi'a,') 
had  no  limits."  It  is  plain  that  the  word  is 
here  used  in  its  popular  sense  of  indefinite  time ; 
otherwise  2^olun,  which  signifies  greats  mucJi,  long, 
would  be  absurd.  Beside,  it  is  employed  to  desig- 
nate a  period  which,  though  it  may  havd  had  no  be- 
ginning, came  to  an  end  on  the  morning  of  creation. 
Aristotle  calls  the  entire  period  of  the  universe,  or 
infinite  time,  aion.  Now,  if  we  translate  this  "  eter- 
nity," Eusebius  corrects  the  translation  by  giving  the 

■•  There  is  a  passage  in  a  Jewish  work  cited  in  Stephen's  Thesaurus 
GrceccE  Lingua  as  in  Solom.  Parab.,  in  which  this  sentence  occurs, 
illustrating  the  common  usage:  "And  these  they  called  eternal, 
uioniuvgy  hearing  that  they  had  performed  the  sacred  rites  for //i rce 
generations,  rnlov  ytnwr.  Here  we  have  an  eternity  measured  by 
three  generations,  or  about  a  hundred  years.  Absolutely,  aionios  ia 
indefinite  duration  ;  but  in  this  case  it  is  employed  relatively,  and 
therefore  definitely,  being  limited  by  the  specification  of  three  gene- 
rations. 


"EVERLASTIXG"  —  CHURCH  FATHERS.  319 

samo  name  to  a  part  only  of  that  period  or  dura- 
tion, viz :  that  which  preceded  the  creation  !  And 
from  this  we  learn  that  "eternity  "  is  the  thing  itself, 
and  alon  only  the  name  of  it.  "  Eternity,"  in  its  ab- 
solute sense,  means  one  thing  only,  but  the  "  name,' ' 
aioii^  may  mean  many  things.  "  Eternity"  may  be 
aion.,  but  aion  is  not,  therefore,  necessarily  "eterni- 
ty. "  A  house  is  a  building,  but  every  building  is 
not  a  house.  So  much  for  definitions,  and  learned  ex- 
egesis. The  simple  truth  is,  as  remarked,  that  the 
people's  usage  is  the  only  one  which  is  of  any  impor- 
tance in  this  inquiry.  And  this  ordinary  meaning  of 
Eusebius  is  common  in  the  Xew  Testament,  where 
the  writers  speak  with  equal  freedom  of  the  begin- 
ning and  the  end  of  aions;  or  eternities,  if  we  insist 
on  this  definition.  Matt.  xiii.  39,  40,  49  ;  xxiv.  3  ; 
xxviii.  20  ;  1  Cor.  x.  11 ;  Heb.  ix.  26. 

The  fact  of  this  popular  usage,  and  the  certainty  of 
aion  and  aionios  meaning  indefinite,  and  not  endless 
duration,  is  put  beyond  controversy  by  the  writino-s 
of  the  early  Greek  authors,  who  were  known  to  be 
Universalists,  or  believers  in  the  final  restoration. 

1.  The  Sibylline  Oracles  teach,  in  the  most  posi- 
tive manner,  that  the  damned  will  finally  be  deliver- 
ed from  the  torments  of  hell ;  and  yet  they  repeated- 
ly describe  these  torments  by  the  phrases  "  everlast- 
ing fire,"  and  "  eternal  torments,"  thus  discovering 
the  meaning  this  language  bore  in  the  people's  ?2:)eecli 
of  that  day  — A.  D.  150. 

2.  Origen,  the  greatest  scliclar  of  his  age,  in  his 
writings  and  public  lectures  taught  the  final  redemp- 
tion of  all  in  Christ ;  taught  it  with  every  variety 
of  argument  and  illustration.     But,  at  the  same  time, 


oC^O  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

Lc  uses  tlie  same  language  employed  in  tlie  New 
Testament,  to  describe  the  punislmient  of  the  wicked, 
"  everlasting  (aionios)  destruction,"  "  eternal  dam- 
nation," &c.,  showing  clearly  enough  that  he  did  not 
understand  these  Scriptural  phrases  in  the  sense  of 
endless.  And  surely,  being  a  Greek  himself,  con- 
stantly among  the  people,  preaching  to  them,  and  ex- 
pounding the  Scriptures  to  them  every  day,  no  bet- 
ter witness  can  be  summoned  to  prove  what  meaning 
the  phrases  bore  in  the  every-day  speech  of  the  peo- 
ple. He  tells  them  that  the  wicked  avIU  suffer  "  ever- 
lasting punishment ;  "  and  yet,  without  any  explana- 
tion, without  appearing  to  think  any  is  required,  he 
proceeds  to  prove  that  this  punishment  will  come  to 
an  end,  and  the  wicked  be  restored ! 

3.  Gregory  JS/yssen  takes  the  same  course  in  re- 
gard to  the  words.  For  example  :  he  argues  that 
"  evil  shall  at  length  be  wholly  exterminated,  and  di- 
vine, immortal  goodness,  embrace  within  itself  every 
rational  creature ;  so  that  of  all  who  were  made  by 
God,  not  one  shall  be  excluded  from  his  kingdom. 
All  the  viciousness,  that  like  a  corrupt  matter  is  min- 
gled in  things,  shall  be  dissolved  and  consumed  in  the 
furnace  of  purgatorial  fire  ;  and  everything  that  had 
its  origin  from  God,  shall  be  restored  to  its  pristine 
state  of  purity."  ^ 

And  yet,  like  Origen,  he  constantly  speaks  of  this 
"  purgatorial  fire  "  as  aio7iios,  "  everlasting."  For 
instance,  he  says,  ''  whoever  considers  the  divine 
power,  will  plainly  perceive  that  it  Is  able  at  length 
to  restore,  by  means  of  the  everlasting  purgation  and 
expiatory  sufferings,   those  who  have  gone   even  to 

«  *  Ancient  History  of  Uuivcrsalism,  chapters,  iv.  &  vi. 


this  extremity  of  wickedness."  No  language  could 
be  invented  more  conclusive  than  this.  He  not  only 
says  that  this  everlasting  punishment  shall  end,  but 
that  it  is  hy  means  of  this  everlasting  punishment 
that  the  sufferers  shall  be  restored !  What  does 
Aristotle's  critical  definition  weigh  in  the  scale 
against  such  usage  as  this  in  writings  addressed  to 
the  people,  to  the  world  which  Christ  came  to  instruct 
and  save? 

Let  these  testimonies  from  the  early  church  suffice. 
Others  might  be  added,  but  these  are  enough  for  our 
purpose.  Let  the  honest  seeker  after  truth,  remem- 
ber that  these  men  were  Greeks  by  birth,  and  may 
justly  be  presumed  to  understand  their  own  lan- 
guage—  and  that  they  use  the  very  words  of  the 
New  Testament,  "everlasting,''  "eternal,"  "for 
ever,"  &c.,  in  connection  with  punishment  which  they 
declare  will  end  in  the  purification  and  redemption  of 
those  enduring  it  —  nay,  repeatedly  affirm  even  that 
this  eternal  fire  itself  is  the  appointed  means  of  puri- 
fication ! 

SECTIOK       IV. 

SCRIPTURAL      USAGE. 

As  already  remarked,  the  New  Testament  abund- 
antly confirms  the  fact  of  this  popular  sense  of  aion^ 
and  shows  that  the  thought  is  not  endless  duration, 
but  time  indefinite,  limited  by  the  conditions  of  the 
case.  Thus  v>'c  have  "  this  aion,^'  and  "  the  aio7i  to 
come,"  "  the  beginning  "  and  "  the  end  of  aion,'^ 
and  "  aion  and  beyond."  "  That  in  the  aio7is  to 
coinc,  lie   mirrht   shov/    the   cxceedinG:   riches  of  his 


S52  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

grace."  Ej^h.  il.  7.  "  To  make  all  men  see  what  13 
the  fellowship  of  the  mystery,  which  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  aion  had  been  hid  in  God."  Eph.  iii.  9. 
"  Eternal  {aicnios)  life,  w^hich  God  promised  hefore 
the  eternal  (aionios)  times  be^an."  Titus  i.  2.  Eno- 
lish  translation  —  "  before  the  tcorZJ  beo-an."  Here 
is  "  eternal  life  "  premised  before  the  beginning  of  a 
period,  which  is  also  called  "  eternal."  "  Tell  us 
when  shall  these  things  be,  and  what  shall  be  the 
sign  of  thy  coming,  and  the  end  of  the  world," 
aion.  Matt.  xxiv.  3.  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always, 
even  to  the  end  of  the  aion,'"  xxviii.  20.  "  But  now 
once  in  the  end  of  the  world  (aion^  hath  he  appeared 
to  put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself."  Heb. 
ix.  26.  Once  more  :  "  And  they  are  written  for  our 
admonition,  upon  whom  the  ends  of  the  worlds 
(u\wvu)v^  have  come."  1  Cor.  x.  11.  Suppose  we 
insist  that  aion  radically  signifies  "  eternity,"  on  the 
authority  of  Aristotle,  and  translate  accordingly  "  the 
ends  of  eternities."  It  would  be  confudon  to  afiirm 
that  aion  is  "  absolute  eternity  ;  "  then  to  talk  of 
several  aions^  or  periods  of  this  sort ;  and  then  say 
that  the  ends  of  them  all  have  come  —  and  all  this  in 
the  same  sentence  !  * 

The  following,  from  Prof.  Stuart,  will  confirm  the 


^  Mr.  Goodwin,  in  a  series  of  learned  and  thoroughly  exhaustive  ar- 
ticles on  the  meaning  of  aion,  in  the  Christian  Examiner  from  1S2S  to 
1833,  says:  "This  word  expresses  the  existence  of  being  alone." 
Though  he  might  not  accept  all  his  criticisms  and  conclusions,  the  student 
will  be  profited  by  the  perusal  of  these  dissei-tations,  and  will  be  taught 
to  v.hat  valuable  uses  sound  learning  may  be  put.  See,  also,  an  article 
in  the  January  number  of  the  Universalist  Quarterly  for  1847,  and  sev- 
eral other  articles  in  the  various  volumes  of  this  work,  and  of  the  Uni- 
vcr^aJist  Expositor. 


•*  EVERLASTING  "—SCRIPTURAL   USAGE.      853 

foregoing  statements  respecting  the  meaning  of  the 
term,  and  its  use  in  the  New  Testament : 

"  ^^072,  in  the  New  Testament,  most  usually  means 
an  indefinite,  unlimited  period  of  time  ;  whereas,  in 
the  classics,  the  sense  of  cevum^  seculum^  "  ag6," 
"  generation,"  in  respect  to  time,  appears  to  be  its 
most  usual  meaning.  The  most  common  and  ap- 
propriate meaning  of  aion  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
the  one  which  corresponds  with  the  Hebrew  word 
olim^  and  which,  therefore,  deserves  the  first  rank  in 
regard  to  order,  I  put  down  firsts ;  an  indefinite  period 
of  time,  time  without  limitation ;  ever,  forever,  time 
without  end,  eternity ;  all  in  relation  to  future  time. 
....  The  different  shades  by  which  the  word  is  ren- 
dered, depend  on  the  object  with  which  aion  is  asso- 
ciated, or  to  which  it  has  relation,  rather  than  to  any 

difference  in  the  real  meaning^  of  the  word The 

question  when  the  words  are  to  have  the  meaning  of 
absolute  eternity,  or  when  the  sense  of  ancient,  or 
very  old,  is  always  to  be  determined  by  the  nature  of 
the  case,  i.  e.  by  the  context." ' 

And  how  abundantly  this  definition  is  sustained  by 
the  Scriptures,  will  further  appear  in  such  texts  as  fol- 
low, where  the  Hebrew  equivalents  of  aion  and  aionios 
occur.  *' God  will  establish  Jerusalem ybrever."  Ps, 
xh'iii.  And  yet  he  has  twice  destroyed  it  since  this 
promise  was  made,  showing  that  the  "  forever  "  means 
not  endless,  but  indefinite  time.  "  I  will  give  thee  the 
land  of  Canaan  for  an  everlasting  possession  ; "  and 
yet  he  has  cast  them  out  from  it  eighteen  hundred 
years  ago.     The  covenant  of  circumcision  is  declared 

1  Stuaet's  Letters  to  Miller,  p.  128,  and  Exegetical  Essays,  Sec.  4. 
Meaning  of  Aion, 


O04  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVERSAUSM. 

to  be  "  an  cverlastlno:  covenant,"  thouo;h  it  was  abol* 
ishecl  by  Jehovah  himself.  And  the  priesthood  of 
Aaron  was  set  np  on  divine  authority,  as  "  an  ever- 
lasting priesthood,"  and  yet  by  that  very  authority  it 
•was  abolished  nearly  two  thousand  years  since,  and 
the  priesthood  of  Jesus  set  up  in  its  place.  Gen. 
xvii.,  xlviii.^  Exod.  xl.  So  the  sacrifice  of  atonement 
is  pronounced  "  an  everlasting  statute,"  though  it 
lasted  only  through  the  Law  dispensation,  and  then 
gave  place  to  the  atonement  of  Christ.     Levit.  xvi. 

Xow,  it  is  plain  that  the  sacred  record  could  not 
employ  the  word  "  everlasting  "  in  these  cases,  in  the 
sense  of  strict  eternity;  otherwise  we  are  forced 
into  conclusions  which  may  well  shock  the  piety  of 
nil  who  trust  in  the  veracity  of  God,  and  rely  upon 
the  certain  fulfilment  of  his  promises.  The  ob\aous 
meaning  of  the  word,  in  these  Scriptures,  is  duration 
not  limited  by  au}^  specifications,  but  determined  only 
by  the  circumstances.  This  Avill  be  further  illustrat- 
ed in  the  followino; : 

"The  righteous  shall  inherit  the  land,  and  dwell 
therein  forever."  Ps.  xxxviii.  "Thou  shalt  take- 
an  awl,  and  thrust  it  through  his  ear  into  the  door, 
and  he  sliall  be  thy  servant  forever,"  Deut.  xv. 
"  They  shall  be  your  bondmen  forever."  Lev.  xxv. 
In  these  cases  the  lenixth  of  the  "  forever  "  is  deter- 
mined  by  the  conditions  of  the  question,  and  cannot 
extend  bej^ond  the  life  of  man.  It  may  last  only  a 
few  years  or  days,  depending  on  the  health  and  life 
of  tlie  servant.  Again  :  "  Out  of  the  belly  of  hell, 
cried  I.  ....  The  earth  was  about  me  with  her  bars 
forever"  »Tonah  ii.  Here  the  word  "forever"  is 
applied  to  a  punishment  which  lasted  only  seventy- 


*'  EVERLA.STIXG  "  —  SCRIPTURAL  USAGE.      S55 

two  hours  !  And  it  is  farther  described  as  being  in 
hell,  thus  showing  that  one  may  be  punished  in  hell 
forever,  and  yet  suffer  only  three  days  and  nights ! 
Nothing  can  better  illustrate  the  elastic  meaning  of 
the  terms,  nor  more  conclusively  show  the  folly  of 
attempting  to  build  the  tremendous  structure  of 
strictly  endless  torment  on  such  slender  foundations  I 
And  these  examples  are  but  a  few  out  of  multitudes 
that  might  be  cited.  ^ 

The  result  of  our  inquiry,  then,  respecting  the 
words  rendered  "  everlasting,"  "  eternal,"  "  forever," 
&c.,  is,  that  their  popular,  and  without  doubt  their 
primary,  meaning,  is  an  an  indefirdte  period  of  time  ; 
or,  in  other  words,  duration  without  any  limitations, 
its  length  being  determined  by  the  subject,  or  the 
connection,  varying  from  one  day  to  eternity  in  its 
largest  definition. 

In  order,  therefore,  to  prove  that  the  terms  mean 
strictly  endless  when  applied  to  punishment,  it  must 
be  shown  that  punishment  is  as  necessarily  endless  as 

*  I  have  not  separately  criticised  the  Hebrew  words  rendered  "  ever- 
lasting," '*  forever,"  &c.,  because  it  is  universally  agreed  that  they  are 
the  exact  equivalents  of  aion  and  aionios,  as  the  above  quotations  from 
the  Old  Testament  show.  And  the  Septuagint  confirms  this  by-trans- 
lating the  Hebrew  words  almost  uniformly  hj  the  Greek:  the  excep- 
tions being  only  20  out  of  more  than  300  examples.  What  is  true, 
therefore,  of  one,  is  true  of  the  other,  Dr,  Taylor,  a  profound  He- 
brew scholar,  having'also  written  the  Hebrew  Bible  three  times  with  his 
own  hand,  says  ofoulm,  "  it  signifies  a  duration  which  is  concealed,  as 
being  of  an  unknown  or  great  length.  It  signifies  eternity,  not  from 
the  proper  force  of  the  word,  but  when  the  sense  of  the  place,  or  the 
nature  of  the  subject  requires  it,  as  God  and  His  attributes  "  Pakk- 
ntTRST  says,  *'  it  seems  to  be  much  more  frequently  used  for  indefinite y 
than  for  infinite  time."  Like  their  Greek  synonyms,  therefore,  they 
borrow,  leather  than  impart,  the  meaning  of  endless,  though  often  used 
m  this  sense. 


^5b  THEOLOGT   OF   UNIVEESALISM. 

tlie  being  or  attributes  of  GocL  To  the  scholar  there 
rs  no  more  weight  or  meaning  in  the  expression? 
*'^  everlasting  punishment,  "  "  eternal  damnation,  ^ 
*'  everlasting  destruction ;  "  than  in  those  other  ex- 
pressions,  "  an  everlasting  covenant,"  which  he  know3 
has  been  annulled ;  or  the  "  eternal  excellency  "  of 
the  Jewish  nation,  which  long  ago  ceased  to  be  ;  ot 
the  "  everlasting  statute  "  which  God  himself  abol- 
ished. There  is  nothing  in  the  nature  or  object  of 
punishment,  which  should  make  it  more  enduring 
than  the  covenant  of  God.  And  what  is  there  in 
the  threat  of  "  everlasting  shame  and  contempt " 
against  the  wicked  Jews,  that  should  make  it  more 
than  the  promises  of  "  eternal  excellency "  to  the 
same  people  ?  And  if  one  is  not  of  endless  <luration, 
why  should  we  suppose  the  other  to  be  ?  It  is  said 
of  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  "  it  shall 
never  be  forgiven."  So  it  is  said,  "  My  people  (the 
Jews,)  shall  never  be  ashamed  ;  "  and  yet,  as  already 
quoted,  it  is  also  said  they  shall  awaken  to  "  ever- 
lastino;  shame."  And  it  is  written  of  the  fire  on  the 
altar,  that  "  it  shall  never  go  out,"  but  fire  and  altar 
were  swept  away  ages  since.  And  God  says  :  "  David 
shall  nevei'  want  a  man  to  sit  upon  the  throne  of  Is- 
rael," and  yet  the  family  and  the  throne  of  David 
were  blotted  out  centuries  ago,  and  Israel  itself  scat- 
tered like  chaff  in  the  wind.  Levit.  vi.  13  ;  Joel  ii. 
26,  27  ;  Jcr.  xxxiii.  17. 

And  so  of  every  phrase  or  form  of  speech,  in 
which  the  original  words  are  found  in  connection 
with  punishment.  "  The  smoke  of  their  torment 
ascendcth  up  forever  and  ever."  The  Bible  student 
i&ces  nothing  in  this  to  lead  him  to  suppose  it  is  to 


*' everlasting" — SCRIPTURAL   USAGE.       357 

last  tliroiigli  all  eternity,  more  than  the  fiery  judg- 
ment which  fell  on  Idumea,  of  which  it  is  said,  "  the 
smoke  thereof  shall  go  up  forever^  none  shall  pass 
through  it  forever  and  ever^'^  (Isa.  xxxiv.  10,)  though 
the  destruction  which  wasted  the  people  was  com- 
paratively brief,  and  thousands  have  passed  through 
the  land  since.  So  of  the  expression,  "  shall  be  tor- 
mented day  and  night  forever  and  ever ;  "  for  we 
find  it  written  also,  *'  I  will  cause  you  to  dwell  in  this 
place,  in  the  land  I  gave  your  fiathers,  forever  and 
6^'fr,"  (Jer,  vii.  7,)  and  at  the  same  time  the  stub- 
born fact  looks  us  in  the  face  that  the  Lord  himself 
cast  them  out  of  the  land  I  And  yet  no  explanation 
is  given,  no  intimation  that  there  is  any  contradiction 
in  this  usage  of  the  words  ;  as  there  certainly  would 
be  if  the  meaning  was  strictly  endless  duration. 

Thus  proof  on  proof,  in  every  variety  of  phrase 
compels  us  to  caution  in  defining  the  exact  meaning 
of  these  terms,  and  forbids  the  assumption  that  eter- 
nity only  is  the  true  measure  of  their  value.  And  so 
far  from  there  being  any  evidence  that  the  divine 
punishment  of  sin  is  of  such  a  nature,  that  the  words, 
when  applied  to  it,  must  of  necessity  mean  endless, 
the  whole  burthen  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  very 
word  "  punishment,"  as  shown  in  a  former  chapter, 
declare  in  unmistakable  terms  that  all  punishment  is, 
in  its  nature  and  purpose,  temporary  and  remedial, 
and  will  end  in  the  purification  of  the  -vufferer. 

But  one  point  more  remains  to  be  noticed.  It  is 
urged  with  great  earnestness  that  the  Saviour,  in 
IMatt.  XXV.  46,  applies  aio7iios  both  to  the  punish- 
iv,oi\t  of  the  wicked  and  the  life  of  the  righteous,  and 
that  ''  if  one  is  limited  the  other  must  be  also  "  ;   that 


i\5S  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVEESALISM. 

if  the."  everlasting  piinisliment  "  is  not  endless,  then 
the  "  eternal  life  "  is  not.^ 

But  let  as  apply  this  rule  of  criticism.  "  He  stood 
and  measured  the  earth,  ....  and  the  everlasting 
mountains  were  scattered,  ....  his  ways  are  everlast- 
ing." Hab.  iii.  6.  Here  the  prophet  attaches  the 
same  word  '''  everlasting "  to  the  hills  and  to  God ;. 
and  this  in  the  same  sentence,  setting  the  one  over 
ao^ainst  the  other  —  so  that  if  the  one  is  limited,  the 
other  must  be  also ;  if  the  hills  are  not  endless  in 
duration,  neither  is  God !  Such  reasoning  is  its  own 
refutation.^ 

No  reasonable  person  would  be  willing  to  allow, 
because  he   speaks  of  a  "  wise  God "   and   "  a  wise 


^  This  argu,m<2nt  urged  so  confidently,  is  as  old  as  Augustine  (A.  I>^ 
400),  yfho  seems  first  to  have  brought  it  forward.  And  yet  there  is  a 
passage  in  the  Civitatc  Dei  xxi.  16,  which  goes  largely  toward  soften., 
ing  this  sjjecial  plea,  hj  defending  the  doctrine  of  degrees  in  the  punish- 
ments of  the  dajnned.  "  Nequaqam.  tamen  negandum  est,  etiam  ipsum* 
ietemum  ignem  pro  divcrsitate  meritorum  quamvis  malorum  aliis  lev- 
iorem,  aliis  futurum  esse  graviorem;  sive  ipsiusvis  atque  ardor  pra 
pcBua  dlgna  evjusquc  varietur ,  sive  ipse  ccqualiter  ardeat^sed  non 
tsquali  molsstia  sentiatarJ'  That  is,  the  fires  of  hell  will  be  gradu- 
ated to  the  wickedaess  of  the  sufferers,  touching  some  more  lightly  and 
otliers  more  severely ;  or,  if  they  burn  with  equal  fierceness  for  all, 
they  will  not  be  felt  with  equal  pain  by  all;  by  which  argument,  as 
Hagencach  says,  Augustine  "  admitted  a  relative  cessation  of  damna- 
tion.^''—  Hist,  of  Dact.,  §  142.  Augustine  believed  also  in  degrees  of 
happiness  in  heaven ;  and  taking  this  W-th  his  just  tenderness  toward  the 
damned,  we  cannot  but  feel  that  the  outer  edge  of  heaven  and  the  outer 
edge  of  hell  must  meet  and  touch.  For,  in  such  co>se,  surely,  the  dif- 
ference between  the  enjoyment  of  the  least  saint  in  heaven  and  the  suf- 
fering of  the  least  sinner  in  hell,  is  not  worth  mentioning. 

2  So  in  Horn.  xxi.  25,  26,  the  word  is  applied  to  Gol,  and  to  the  times 
or  ages  preceding  the  gospel,  which  of  course  ended  when  the  gospel 
age  began.  By  the  above  rule  of  criticism,  as  aionios  is  applied  to  the 
ancient  times  and  the  infinite  God,  if  one  came  to  an  end>the  other  lUGist 
also  I    See,  also>  Titus  i.  2^  in  tJie  Grcclc 


'''EYERLASTING'"  —  SCmPTUKAL  USAGE.       359 

man  "  in  tlu  same  sentence,  or  because  lie  contrasts 
one  with  the  other,  that  therefore  he  believes  the 
"wisdom  of  the  man  is  equal  to  the  wisdom  of  God, 
In  the  one  case,  "  wise  "  means  infinite  wisdom,  but 
not  in  the  other :  and  the  difference  in  the  meaninir 
of  the  adjective  is  determined  by  the  noun  to  which 
it  is  applied  —  the  infinite  being  in  God^  not  in  wise. 
And  so  with  *'  everlasting,"  in  order  to  make  it  mean 
endless  when  applied  to  punishment :  it  is  not  enough 
to  show  that  it  is  applied  to  the  blessedness  of  the 
righteous,  unless  it  can  also  be  shown  that  eml  is  as 
necessarily  immortal  in  its  nature  as  good,  which  is 
the  very  essence  of  God. 

But  the  proper  answer  to  this  argument  is  this : 
"'Everlasting  or  eternal  life"  is  not  the  exclusive 
blessing  of  the  future  world.  It  is  something,  as 
previously  shown,  which  the  believer  receives  and 
enjoys  in  this  world ;  as  well  as  "  everlasting  punish- 
ment "  something  which  the  wicked  suffer  in  this 
world.  "  Eternal  life  "  is  simply  the  life  and  blessed- 
ness of  faith  ^n^  obedience.  Hence  the  followino- : 
"  This  IS  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee,  the 
only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast 
sent."  John  xvii.  This  blessed  knowledge  of  God 
and  Christ  is  eternal  life,  whether  possessed  in  this 
world  or  in  the  future.  "  He  that  heareth  my  word, 
and  believeth  on  him  that  sent  me,  hath  everlasting 
life,  and  shall  not  come  into  condemnation,  but  is 
PASSED  from  death  unto  life."  John  v.  Here  as  in 
the  passages  following,  both  the  death  and  the  life  be- 
long to  this  vrorld,  and  the  believer  passes  from  one 
to  the  other  while  in  the  flesh.  "  We  know  that  we 
HAVE  PASSED  from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love 


3G0  THEOLOGY   OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

the  brethren.*'  1  John  iil.  "  These  things  have  I 
written  nnto  you  that  believe  on  the  name  of  the  Son 
of  God,  that  ye  may  know  that  ye  have  eternal 
life."     1  John  v. 

These  passages  reveal  clearly  enough  what  is  the 
^'  eternal  life  "  into  which  the  righteous  went,  as  set 
forth  in  Matt.  xxv.  46 ;  the  word  aionios  or  eternal 
liaving  more  regard  to  character  than  duration.  It 
was  the  rest  and  peace  and  joy  of  faith  and  obedi- 
ence ;  while  the  "  everlasting  punishment "  was  the 
curse  of  unbelief,  and  the  judgment  of  transgression 
which  fell  upon  the  guilty  people  of  that  age  and 
generation. 

Though  it  is  the  object  of  this  chapter  to  establish 
general  principles  of  interpretation,  rather  than  to 
explain  particular  passages,  a  few  words  may  be  in 
place  respecting  the  time  referred  to  above,  or  the 
time  of  .the  judgment  set  forth  in  the  parable  of  the 
sheep  and  goats.  The  24th  and  25th  chapters  of 
Matthew  are  a  continuous  discourse,  as  the  word 
"  Tlien''  which  opens  the  25th  shows.  Wlienf  Why, 
at  the  time  mentioned  in  the  previous  chapter,  or 
"immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days" 
whic':i  preceded  the  overthrow  of  Jerusalem.  Yerse 
29.  The  judgment  was  to  take  place  when  the  Son 
of  man  should  come  in  his  glory.  And  Mark  viii. 
88  — ix.  1 ;  Luke  ix.  26,  27  ;  John  xxi.  21-23  ;  and 
Matt.  xvi.  27,  28,  are  positive  proof  that  this  coming 
to  judgment  took  place  in  that  generation,  while  those 
who  heard  him  were  living.  For  example,  take  the 
last  passage  :  "  For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the 
glory  of  his  Father,  with  his  angels ;  and  then  he 


<«EYERLASTING^'  —  SCRIPTURAL    USAGE.       361 

sliall  reward  every  man  according  to  his  works. 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  There  he  some  standing  here 
which  shall  not  taste  of  death  till  they  see  the  Son  of 
man  coming  in  his  kingdom,'*^  Now,  whatever  may 
have  been  the  character  of  this  coming,  two  things 
are  settled  by  this  passage. — 1.  It  was  a  coming  to  a 
judgment  according  to  works,  which  is  the  very  judg- 
ment of  the  parable,  the  whole  examination  being  in 
regard  to  works.  Chapter  xxv.  34 — 46,  2.  This 
coming  and  judgment  was  to  take  place  during  the 
life-time  of  some  of  those  who  heard  the  Saviour 
utter  these  words,  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  John 
also  was  to  live  till  the  coming  took  place.  See  John 
xxi.  21-23.  The  time  of  the  judgment  is  also  dis- 
covered in  the  parable  itself.  There  are  three  par- 
ties,— not  two,  as  usually  supposed, — the  righteous, 
the  wicked,  and  the  disciples — "  inasmuch  as  ye  have 
ilone  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  hrethren^^ 
who  are  as  separate  from  those  on  the  right,  as  they 
are  from  those  on  the  left.  And  this  third  class  is 
the  little  band  of  disciples,  kindness  to  whom  in  their 
labors  and  trials  was  acknowledged  by  the'  Saviour 
as  if  done  unto  himself.  The  judgment,  therefore, 
plainly  belongs  to  that  age,  to  that  people  who  were 
in  direct  intercourse  with  "  these  my  brethren,"  or 
the  disciples  of  Christ,  bestowing  or  refusing  the  aid 
and  comfort  which  they  so  much  needed  in  their  mis- 
iflonary  life.  Those  who  received  and  believed  in 
their  testimony  were  rewarded  with  "  life  eternal," 
and  those  who  rejected  and  persecuted  them,  and  per- 
sisted in  unbelief  and  wickedness,  were  given  over  to 
"  everlasting  punishment." 


CHAPTER   XII. 


THE    SCRIPTURAL     DOCTRINE     CONCERNING    HELL. 

There  are  three  words,  or  substantive  forms,  in  the 
Hebrew  and  Greek,  rendered  into  English  by  the 
word  Hell.  The  expression  in  2  Pet.  ii.  4,  "  cast 
them  down  to  hell,"  is  the  translation  of  one  Greek 
word  in  a  participal  form.  Of  these  woris  one^ 
Sheol,  is  pure  Hebrew,  and,  of  course,  is  found  only 
n  the  Old  Testament ;  one,  Hades^  is  pure  Greeks 
and  found  only  in  the  New  Testament ;  and  the  third 
s  Hebrew-Greek,  and  occurs  in  its  Hebrew  form 
Gee  Hinnom  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  in  its  Greek 
dress,  Gehenna^  in  the  New  Testament. 

SECTIOXI. 

SHEOL — ITS  SCRIPTURAL   MEANING  AND  USAGE — *'  THE  WICKED  SHALL 
BE  TURNED    INTO    HE.^.L." 

bii^'i — Sheol^  occurs  sixty-four  times  In  the  Bible, 
and  is  translated  Hell  thirty-one  times,  Grave  thirty 
times  and  Pit  three  times.  A  careful  examination 
of  the  passages  establishes  the  fact,  that  it  bears 
one  meaning  throughout  the  Old  Testament,  viz : 

I%e  Grave  ;  the  Place  of  the  Dead ;  the  Realm 

362 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  HELL — SHEOL.     363 

of  Death;  supposed  to  be  far  down  below  the 
earth,  a  kind  of  under-world? 

In  the  following  passages,  the  original  of  "  the 
grave  "  is  SheoL  "  I  will  go  down  into  the  grave 
unto  my  son  mourning."  Gen.  xxxvii.  35.  "  If 
mischief  befall  him  (Benjamin,)  by  the  way  in  which 
ye  go,  then  shall  ye  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  in 
sorrow  to  the  grave?^  xlii.  38.  "  But  his  hoar  head 
bring  thou  down  to  the  grave  with  blood."  1  Kings 
ii.  6,  9.  "  O,  that  thou  wouldst  hide  me  in  the 
grave?'  Job.  xiv.  13.  "  For  my  soul  is  full  of  trou- 
bles, and  my  soul  draweth  nigh  to  the  grave?'  Ps, 
Ixxxviii.  3.  Of  Korah  and  his  company,  it  is  said, 
*'  They  and  all  that  appertained  to  them,  went  down 
alive  into  the  pit  (^Sheol,^  and  the  earth  closed  over 
them,  and  they  perished  from  among  the  congrega- 
tion."    Num.  xvi.  33, 

These  passages  are  sufficient  to  establish  the  above 
definition  of  Sheol,  and  to  illustrate  the  Scriptural 
usage  in  this  sense.  It  is  plain  that  the  word  signi- 
fies the  grave;  or  the  underworld  of  the  dead,  to 
which  the  grave  is  the  gate  of  entrance.  And  it  is 
equally  plain  that  all  go  down  to  this  realm  of  the 
dead,  Sheol^  grave^  hell,  or  by  whatever  name   it  is 

1  Several  passages  commonly  regarded  as  figurative,  will  be  found 
literal,  if  closely  studied.  For  example  :  Psalm  cxvi.  3.  "  The  pains 
of  hell  gat  hold  on  me,"  is  a  reference  to  the  grave,  or  the  painful  ex- 
perience of  coming  to  it  through  death  ;  and  is  explained  by  the  par- 
allelism, "the  sorrows  of  death  compassed  me."  So  Psalm  Ixxxvi. 
13,  "  Thou  hast  delivered  my  soul  from  the  lowest  hell" — my  life 
from  the  grave,  or  the  realm  of  death.  Isa.  Ivii,  9,  "  Thou  didst  debase 
thyself  even  unto  hell,"  is  a  comparison  ;  as  low  morally  as  Sheol 
is  naturally,  or  topographically.  Jonah  ii.  2,  "  Out  of  the  belly  of 
hell  cried  I  ;  "  or  as  we  say,  "  out  of  the  jaws  of  death." 


IM  THEOLOGY    OF  UNIYEESALIS^r. 

called ;  Jacob  and  Korah,  David  and  Nebuchadnez- 
zar, the  faithful  servant  of  God  and  the  guilty  trans- 
gressor,  Isra<ilite  and  Heathen^  It  is  not  a  place  of 
punishment  nor  of  reward.  It  has  nothing  in  it& 
meaning  or  use  touching  the  misery  or  the  happiness 
of  those  who  go  there^  It  is  simply  the  realm  of 
death,  the  place  where  the  dead  are.  all  the  dead,, 
whatever  their  moral  character ;  and  it  would  have 
been  just  as  correct  and  exegetical  to  have  translated 
it  "  heaven."  as  "  hell."  Indeed  a  learned  writer,  with- 
great  frankness,  confesses  that  Sheol  "  far  more  oftCR 
signifieth  the  jylctce  of  tJie  blessed,  whither  the  saints 
and  patriarchs  went  when  they  diedy  than  the  place 
whither  sinners  went."  ^ 

And  this  is  the  witness  of  scholars  and  thealogians- 
of  all  creeds.  D)\  Fairhaim^  the  learned  professor 
of  Divinity  in  the  College  of  Glasgow,  says  i.  "  Be- 
yond doubt,  Sheolj  like  Hades,  was  regarded  as  the 
abode,  after  death,  alike  of  the  good  and  the  bad." 
Dr.  Whitby  says ;  "  Sheol  thraughout  the  Old 
Testament,  signifies  not  the  place  of  ptinishment.  or 
of  the  souls  of  bad  men  only,  but  the  grave  only,  or 
the  place  of  death,"  .  .  .  .  ''It  is  the  place  to  which 
the  good  as  well  as  the  bad  go."  Dr.  Campbell  says^ 
it  "  signifies  the  state  of  the  dead,  without  regard  ta 
the  goodness  or  badness  of  the  persons,  their  hap- 
piness or  misery."  Dr.  Miienseher  says,  Sheol  is- 
"  the  realm  or  kingdom  of  death,  an  abode  deep  un- 
der the  earth.  Thither  go  all  men,  mthout  distinc- 
tion. There  all  pain  and  anguish  cease,  and  unbrok- 
en silence  reigns  ;  all  is  powerless  and  still."  Le 
Clerc,    Grotius,    Ainsworth,    and   others,   give    the 

^Poole's  Coutinuators,.  on  tlie  xjuroble  of  tke  Eiclt  jMiui  and  Lazarua. 


THE   DOCTRINE   OF   HELL  —  SHEOL.  865 

same  meaning,  "the  grave  only,  or  the  state  of 
the  dead"  —  tantum  sepvlchrum^  aut  statum  mor^ 
tuorum. 

And  the  passages  where   Sheol  is  rendered  by  the 
English  word  hell^  confirm   and  illustrate  this  point. 
For  example  :  "  For  thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in 
Tiell ;  neither  wilt  thou  suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see 
corruption."      Psalm   xvi.    10.      Of   course    "  hell " 
here  is  the  grave^  which  is  parallel  with  "  corruption  " 
in   the    corresponding   half  verse,  according   to   the 
structure   of  Hebrew   poetry.      The    soul  of  God's 
Holy  One  could  not  certainly  have  been  in  a  place  of 
endless  torm-cnt.     "  For  a  fire  is  kindled  in  mine  an- 
ger, and  shall  burn  unto  the  lowest  hell,  and  shall  con- 
sume the  earth  with  her  increase,  and  set  on  fire  the 
foundations  of  the  mountains."     Deut.  xxxii.  22-26- 
''  Though   they   dig  into  hell^  thence  shall  my  hand 
take  them  ;  though  they   climb   up  to  heaven,  thence 
will  I  bring  them   down."     Amos   ix.  2,     "If  I  as- 
cend up   into   heaven,  thou  art   there  ;  if  I  make  my 
bed  in  helL  behold,  thou   art  there."     Ps.  cxxxix.  8- 
"  It  is  high  as  heaven  ;  what  canst  thou  do  ?  deeper 
than  hell ;  what  canst  thou  know."     Job  xi,  8.     In 
these  passages,  the   heights  of  heaven,  or  the  firma- 
ment, are  set  in  contrast  with  the  depths  of  Sheol,  or 
the   deep   underworld  of  the   dead.     Men   would  not 
be  represented  as  digging  into  a  place  of  endless  tor- 
ment, or  as  climbing  to  a  place  of  heavenly  blessed- 
ness, to  escape   the   wrath  of  God  ;  but  it  is  common 
to  speik  of  the   grave  as  a  place  of  rest  and  refuge. 
Hence  Job   says,  "  O,  that  thou   wouldst  hide  m(j  in 
the  grave  (^ Sheol,  hell,}  that  thou  wouldst  keep  mq 
secret  until  thy  wrath  be  past."  xiv.  13. 


MQ  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIYEllSALrSSI. 

Professor  Stuart  very  properly  says,  "  There  can 
be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  Sheol  does  most  generally 
mean  the  underworld^  the  gi^ave  or  sepulchre^  the 
world  of  the  dead ^  It  is  very  clear  that  there  are- 
many  passages  where  no  other  meaning  can  reasona- 
bly be  assigned  to  it.  Accordingly,  our  English 
translators  have  rendered  the  word  SAeol  grave,  in; 
thirty  instances  out  of  the  whole  sixty-four  instance© 
in  which  it  03curs."^ 

He  thinks,  however^  that  there  are  five  texts,  in 
which  Sheol  seems  to  indicate  a  place  of  future  pun- 
ishment :  Job  xxi.  13,  Prov.  v.  5,  ix,  18,  xxiii.  14,. 
Psalms  ix,  17.^  It  is  difficult  to  see  what  there  is  m 
these  ^YQ  texts,  more  than  in  the  other  fifty -nine,  tO' 
indicate  this  doctrine  ;-  and  this  is  so  evident,  that  he 
scarcely  names  them,  before  he  admits  that  three  of 
them  may  "  designate  a  death,  violent  and  prema- 
ture, inflicted  by  the  hand  of  heaven."  He  farther 
says,  that  it  is  "  a.  sound  rule  in  philology,  never  to 
depart  from  the  ordinary^  sense  of  a  Avord,  unless  the 
context  imperiously  demands  it."     And  what  is  there 

'  To  show  conspicuously  the  absurdity  of  giving  to  Shcol  the  mean- 
ing of  hell  as  now  understood ,- it  is  only  necessary  to' state  the  fact  thaiJ 
it  was  the  name  of  the  first  king  of  Israel,  Saul.  The  words  Shcol  and' 
Saul  are  the  same  in  Hebrew,- the  difference  in  the  pound  arising  fron> 
a  difference  in  pointing.  See  Cncden's  Cojicordanee  —  Definition  of 
Proifer  J^umes.  Think  of  baptizing  a  child  now  with  the  name  Heli ! 
Does  not  this  simi^le  fact  show  that  the  H-ebrcws  could  not  possibly  have 
associated  with  Sheol  the  revolting  ideas  which  some  Christians  attacb 
to  our  ward  hell? 

"  He  confesses  that  "  the  probability  that  Sheol  in  these  tcxtts  desig- 
nates the  future  punishment  of  the  wicked,  depends "porhips  in  a  grea€ 
measure  on  the  state  of  knowledge  among  the  Hebrews  with  regard  ta 
future  rewards  and  punishments. ' '  This  is  a  curious  remark  for  a  critic- 
♦  In  other  words:  Sheol  means  future  punishment,  if  the  Hebrews  be> 
lieved  ia  it  —  and  the  Hebrews  believed  in  it,  if  t^Jieol  mcan-s  itl 


THE  DOCTRINE   OF  HELL  —  SHEOL.  367 

in  the  context  of  these  passages  which  imperiously 
demands  a  departure  from  the  ordinary  sense,  which 
he  proves  to  be  "  grave  "  or  "  pLace  of  the  dead,"  by 
a  usage  of  fifty-nine  examples  out  of  sixty-four? 
Nothing  at  all  —  nor  does  he  show  that  there  is. 

In  Psalm  ix.  17,  "  The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into 
hell,  and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God,"  SJieol  has 
its  ordinary  sense,  the  grave  or  imdericorld.  And 
"the  wicked"  referred  to  are  "the  heathen,"  or,  as 
David  calls  them  in  verse  3,  "  mine  enemies,"  "  the 
nations  that  forget  God,"  as  the  context  abundantly 
proves.  It  is  of  the  neighboring  wicked  nations,  and 
not  of  wicked  individuals,  that  he  is  speaking.  And 
the  meaning  is,  that  they  will  be  destroyed,  perhaps 
by  some  special  judgment,  and  turned  into  the  grave, 
or  the  realm  of  the  dead,  SJieol.  Dr.  Alexander^ 
Professor  at  Princeton,  gives  the  following  as  the 
sense  :  "  The  wicked  shall  turn  back,  even  to  hell, 
to  deaths  or  to  the  grave  ;  all  nations  forgetful  of  God. 
The  enemies  of  God  and  of  his  people,  shall  not  only 
be  thwarted  and  repulsed,  but  driven  to  destruction, 
and  that  not  merely  individuals,  but  nations." 

Thus  our  examination  shows  that  Hdl^  in  the  words 
of  Dr.  Whitby,  "  throughout  the  Old  Testament  sig- 
nifies the  grave  only,  or  the  place  of  death."  And 
this  fact  will  be  confirmed  beyond  dispute,  wdien  it  ig 
remembered  that  the  doctrine  of  endless  punishment, 
the  doctrine  even  of  a  future  state  of  retribution,  is 
not  taught,  nor  alluded  to,  In  the  Mosaic  Law.  Arcli^ 
hishop  Whately  says,  "  As  for  a  future  state  of  retri- 
bution in  another  world,  Moses  said  nothing  to  the 
Israelites  about  that."  Milman,  the  author  of  the 
*'  History  of  the  Jews,"  "  History  of  Christianity," 
"Latin  Christianity,"  &c.,  says,  Moses  "  maintains  a 


868  THEOLOGY   OF   UNITERSALISM. 

profound  silence  on  the  rewards  and  punishments  of 
another  life."  Bishop  TFar-Swr^OTi  testifies  that,  "In 
the  Jewish  Eepublic,  both  the  rewards  and  punish* 
ments  promised  by  Heaven  were  temporal  only —  such 
AS  health,  long  life,  peace,  plenty  and  dominion,  &c. ; 
Diseases,  premature  death,  war,  famine,  want,  sub- 
jections, captivity,  &c.  And  in  no  one  place  of  the 
Mosaic  Institutes  is  there  the  least  mention,  or  any 
intellio:ible  hint,  of  the  rewards  and  punishments  of 
another  life."  Foley  declares  that  the  Mosaic  dis- 
pensation "  dealt  in  temporal  rewards  and  punish- 
ments. The  blessings  consisted  altogether  of  worldly 
benefits^  and  the  curses  of  worldly  punishments." 
Prof.  Mayer  says,  that  "  the  rewards  promised  the 
ri<^hteous,  and  the  punishments  threatened  the  wicked, 
are  such  only  as  are  awarded  in  the  present  state  of 
being."  Jahn^  whose  work  is  the  text-book  of  the 
Andover  Theological  Seminary,  says,  "  We  have  no 
authority,  therefore,  decidedly  to  say,  that  any  other 
motives  were  held  out  to  the  ancient  Hebrews  to  pur- 
sue orood  and  avoid  evil,  than  those  which  were  de- 
rived  from  the  rewards  and  punishments  of  this  life." 
To  the  same  important  fact  testify  Prof.  Wines, 
Bush,  Arnauld,  and  other  distinguished  Theologians 
and   scholars.*     Of  course,   then,   if  the   doctrine   of 

'  Encyc.  Britan.,  vol.  i.  Dis,  3.  Whatelet's  "  Peculiarities  of  the 
Christian  Ptcligion,"  p.  44,  2d  edition,  and  his  "  Scripture  Revela- 
tions of  a  Future  State,"  pp.  18,  19,  American  edition.  Milman's 
*'  Hist,  of  Jews,"  vol.  i.  117.  "  Divine  Legation,"  vol.  iii.  jip.  1 ,  2,  &c. 
10th  Loudon  edition.  Palby's  works,  vol.  v.  p.  110,  Sermon  xiii, 
•J.vnN*s  "  Archaeology,"  §  314.  Lee,  in  his  "  Eschatology,"  says: 
**  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  rewards  and  punishments  of  the 
Mosaic  Institutes  were  exclusively  temporal.  Not  an  allusion  is  found, 
in  the  case  of  either  individuals  or  communities,  in  which  reference  is 
made  to  the  good  or  evil  of  a  future  state  as  motive  to  obedience." 
Pv  144.     The  reader  will  note  that  all  these  arc  orthodox  authorities. 


THE  DOCTRINE  OP  HELL — SHEOL.     3(59 

future  endless  punishment  is  not  revealed  in  the 
Mosaic  Dispensation,  Sheol  cannot  mean  any  such 
thing.  If,  therefore,  such  a  place  of  torment  exists, 
as  some  Christians  believe  in,  it  has  no  name  in  the 
Old  Testament !  Leigh,  in  his  "  Critica  Sacra,"  says, 
frankly,  "  All  learned  Hebrew  scholars  know  that 
the  Hebrews  have  no  word  proper  for  hell,  as  we  take 
hell."  ^  But  surely,  if  God  had  revealed  such  a 
place  to  Moses  or  the  prophets,  he  would  have  re- 
vealed it  with  a  name. 

Let  the  reader  then  seriously,  and  with  a  prayer 
for  divine  direction,  consider  these  important  facts  — 
facts  forced  upon  the  biblical  scholars  and  theologians 
named;  and,  though  directly  in  conflict  with  their 
creeds,  ingenuously  and  honestly  confessed.  There 
is  no  word  for  Jiell^  as  believed  ly  certain  Christian 
sects,  in  all  the  Old  Testament.  The  doctrine  of  a 
future  state  of  endless  torment  for  the  wicked,  is  not 
iu  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  which  cover  two  thirds  of 
the  whole  period  of  Man's  life  and  history  on  this 
earth  I 

And  it  is  at  this  point  that  the  argument  presses 
with  tremendous  weight.  If  the  doctrine  of  endless 
punishment  be  true,  then  for  four  thousand  years 
G  od  made  no  revelation  of  it !  From  Moses  to  Mal- 
achi  the  Scriptures  are  entirely  silent  on  the  subject. 
What  shall  we  say  of  that  justice  which  could  see 
the  millions  of  earth  through  all  this  time,  in  utter 
ignorance  of  their  fate,  plunging  into  the  gulf  of 
endless  torment  and   despair  —  without  one  word  of 

'  Edward  Leigh  was,  according  to  Horne,  "  one  of  the  most  learned 
men  of  his  time,  and  his  work  is  a  Yaluable  help  to  the  uudersbiuding 
of  tkc  origiaLd  languages  of  the  Scrlptui-es."— //ifro.  vol  ii.  705, 


alO  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

earning?  Think  of  this  for  a  moment  —  that  God 
should  suffer  the  world  to  go  on  for  forty  centuries, 
with  not  the  slightest  hint  of  danger  to  those  who 
were  daily  and  hourly  sinking  into  the  flaming 
abyss !  Is  it  possible  to  believe  such  monstrous  blas- 
phemy against  that  God  who  is  Love  ? 

■•Hans  Andersen,  the  poet  of  Denmark,  and  one  of  the  most  instruc- 
tive and  pleasing  authors  of  the  day.  says:  "  I  received  gladly,  both 
with  feeling  and  understanding,  the  doctrine  that  God  is  Love  ;  every- 
thing which  opposes  this — a  burning  hell,  therefore,  whose  fire  endured 
forever  —  I  could  not  recognise." —  "  Story  of  my  Life,''''  p.  77.  The 
same  aversion  to  the  revolting  dogma,  and  the  same  recognition  of  the 
final  tiiumph  of  good  and  God,  glow  through  the  jJages  of  half  the  pop- 
ular writers  of  the  day,  as  Holmes,  Winthrop,  Fronde,  Kingsley,  Dr. 
George  Moore  (author  of"  Body  and  Mind,"  "Soul  and  Body,"  &c., 
in  Harper's  Miscellany,')  Mrs.  Sherwood,  the  Brontes,  William  and 
JNLiRy  HowiTT — and  especially  of  the  poets,  as  Leigh  Hunt,  Bailey, 
in  "  Festus,"  (the  very  plot  of  whicii  is  universal  redemption,)  Thomp- 
son, Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning,  Tennyson,  Wordsworth,  Whit- 
tier,  Charles  Lamb,  Southey,  &c.  As  an  example,  take  the  following 
from  the  last  named  : 

"  What  though  at  birth  we  bring  with  us  the  seed 
Of  sin  and  mortal  taint — yet  ai-e  we  still 
The  children  of  the  All-Merciful;  and  ill 
They  teach,  who  tell  us  that  from  hence  must  flow 
God's  wrath;  and  then,  His  justice  to  fulfil. 
Death  everlasting,  never-ending  wo! 
O  miserable  lot  of  man,  if  it  were  so! 
Falsely  and  impiously  they  teach  who  thus 
Our  heavenly  Father's  will  misread! 
In  bounty  hath  the  Lord  created  us, 
In  love  redeemed.     From  this  authentic  creed 
Let  no  bewildering  sophistry  impede 
The  heart's  entire  assent;  for  God  is  good. 
Hold  firm  this  faith,  and  in  whatever  need. 
Doubt  not  but  thou  wilt  find  thy  soul  endued 
With  all-sufiicient  strength  and  fortitude.'* 


THE    DOCTRINE   OF  HELL  —  HADES'.  371 


SECTION      II. 

HADES — ITS    SCRIPTURAL    IMPORT    AND    USAGE.       "THE  RICH    MAN 
AND    LAZARUS.  " 

^OTjs — Hades  is  found  eleven  times  only  in  the 
New  Testament,  and  is  rendered  by  the  word  HcU 
ten  times,  and  once  by  the  word  Grave.  1  Cor.  xv. 
55.  It  is  universally  allowed  by  critics  that  Hades 
corresponds  in  meaning  with  JSheol ;  and  this  is  con- 
firmed by  the  fact  that  the  Septuagint^  ^  whicli  is  the 
Greek  translation  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures^  made  in 
part  about  three  hundred  years  before  Christ,  has 
rendered  Sheol  by  the  word  Hades  sixty  times  out  of 
sixty-four  instances  where  it  occurs.  However,  with 
regard  to  the  meaning  of  the  word,  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, it  may  be  well  to  have  independent  testimony. 

§  I.  Meaning  and  usage  of  Hades.  A  theologian, 
equally  learned  as  a  scholar,  judicious  as  a  critic,  and 
impartial  as  a  commentator,  says  of  Hades^  — 

"  In  my  judgment,  it  ought  never  in  Scripture  to 
he  rendered  Hell^  at  least  in  the  sense  wherein  that 
word  is  universally  understood  by  Christians.  It  is 
very  plain  that  neither  in  the  Septuagint  version  of 
the  Old  Testament,  nor  in  the  New,  does  the  word 
Hades  convey  the  meaning  which  the  present  English 
word  Hell^  in  the  Christian  usage,  always  conveys  to 
our  minds.  The  attempt  to  illustrate  this  would  be 
unnecessary,  as   it  is  hardly  now  pretended  by  any 

iThe  Septuagint^  or  Seventy,  sometimes  written  the  LXX.,  is  so  called 
from  the  fact  or  tradition  of  its  being  the  joint  labor  of  seventy  learned 
Jews  in  tlio  time  of  Ptolemy  Philadelphns.  It  was  in  use  in  our  Scv- 
viour's  time. 


872  THlsOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

critic  that  tliis  is  the  acceptation  of  the  term  in  the 
Old  Testament."  ^ 

And  now  let  us  turn  to  the  New  Testament,  and 
we  shall  find  that  Hades^  in  its  literal  usage,  is  the 
equivalent  of  Sheol,  signif3'ing, 

§  I.  27iG  grave,  the  underworld,  or  place  of  the 
dead. 

The  first  passage  to  be  noted  is  1  Cor.  xy.  bb, 
"  O  death  w^here  is  thy  sting  ?  O  grave  (hades) 
where  is  thy  victory."  Here  hades  is  properly  trans- 
lated, the  resurrection  being  very  appropriately  cele- 
brated  as  a  victory  over  the  grave.     And  the  true 

1  Dr.  Campbell,  "  Preliminary  Disscrtatious,"  Diss.  vi.  part  ii.  Le 
Clerc  affirms  that  "  neither  Hades  nor  Sheol  ever  signify  in  the  Sacred 
Scrijoture  the  abode  of  evil  spirits,  but  only  the  sepulchre,  or  the  state 
of  the  dead."  And  this  is  also  the  testimony  of  Grotius  and  other 
learned  men. — Dc  Eligoida,  inter  Dissentientes  Chrisiianos,  Senien- 
tin  Liber.  §  vii.  See  also  Poole's  "  Continuators  on  Luke,"  xvi.  19-30. 
These  testimonies,  which  might  be  added  to  indcflnitely,  are  enough  to 
show  that  Hades  in  the  New  Testament  is  simply  the  Greek  form  of 
what  Sheol  is  in  the  old;  and  therefore  that  "  Hell"  does  not  convey  to 
the  people  of  this  day  the  same  idea  which  Hades  conveyed  to  the  peo- 
ple in  the  time  of  Christ.  It  is  plain,  too,  that  at  the  time  our  transla- 
tion was  made,  "  Hell"  in  English  did  not  bear  the  exclusive  meaning 
it  has  now.  The  Apostle's  Creed,  so  called,  is  proof  of  this,  when  it 
says,  that  Christ  after  his  crucifixion  "  descended  into  hell!"  Sui-ely 
the  Protestant  English  Church  did  not  mean  to  say  that  Christ  went 
into  a  place  of  endless  woe.  Therefore,  as  Prof.  Stuart  says,  "  Hell, 
in  this  document,  means  the  underworld,  the  world  of  the  dead,  and  so 
it  has  been  construed  by  the  most  intelligent  critics  of  the  English 
Church,"  It  has  been  very  correctly  said  that  "  Hell,  in  its  primi- 
tive signification,  corresponded  perfectly  in  meaning  with /ZacZes.  It 
comes  from  the  Anglo-Saxon,  lielan,  to  cover  or  hide;  hence  the  iilimj 
or  slating  of  a  house  is  called,  in  Cornwall, /it'Z/z/7<7  to  this  day;  and  the 
covers  of  books  in  Lancashire  by  the  same  name— so  the  literal  im- 
port of  the  original  word /fa(/<?s  was  formerly  avcII  expressed  by  it." 
Campbell,  Doddridge,  Clarke,  Parkiicrst  and  others.  I  saw- 
lately  in  an  English  newspaper,  an  account  of  an  accident  which  hap- 
pened to  a  Slater,  who  "  fell  from  the  roof  while  engaged  in  helling  it." 


THE   DOCTRINE    OF   HELL  —  HADES.  373 

meaning  of  hades  is  seen  by  the  law  of  parallelism,  be- 
fore noticed,  which  often  runs  into  the  New  Testa- 
ment ;  for  though  the  language  is  Greek,  the  struc- 
ture and  idiomatic  forms  are  largely  Hebrew.    Thus  : 

"  0  Death  where  is  thy  sting  ? 
0  Grave  where  is  thy  victory." 

The  thought  is  simply  repeated  ;  "  grave,"  or  Tiades^ 
answering  to  "  death,"  the  "  victory "  being  taken 
from  one,  and  the  "  sting  "  from  the  other.  And  the 
thought  is  substantially  that  of  Hosea  xiv.  14 : 

"  0  Death  I  will  be  thy  plagues; 
0  Grave  {Sheol)  I  will  be  thy  destruction." 

•  The  same  connection  or  association  of  Death  and 
Hades  appears  in  every  passage  in  the  book  of  Reve- 
lations in  which  the  word  occurs,  as  follows  —  i.  18, 
vi.  8,  XX.  13,  14 : 

"I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead;  and,  behold, 
I  am  alive  forevermore,  amen ;  and  have  the  keys  of 
hell  (hades')  and  of  death." 

"  And  I  looked,  and  behold,  a  pale  horse ;  and  his 
name  that  sat  on  him  was  Death,  and  hell  (hades') 
followed  with  him." 

"  And  the  sea  gave  up  the  dead  that  were  in  it ; 
and  death  and  hell  (hades)  delivered  up  the  dead 
which  were  in  them." 

"  And  death  and  hell  (hades)  were  cast  into  the 
lake  of  fire.     This  is  the  second  death." 

With  regard  to  these  passages,  it  is  plain  enough 
that  the  Revelator  employed  the  word  hades  to  sig- 
nify the  region  of  the  dead,  or  the  Idngdom  of  death. 
Death  and  Hades  are  both  personified,  or  represented 


374  THEOLOGY    OF    UNITE KSALISM. 

as  persons ;  and  in  chapter  vl.  8,  Death  is  a  king  or 
leader,  followed  by  his  hosts,  the  inhabitants  o^  Hades ^ 
or  the  Dead.  And  an  eminent  critic  says  that  the 
"  Hades  of  the  Apocalypse,  is  the  genuine  SJieol  of 
the  Hebrews ;  with  the  exception,  perhaps,  that  the 
Hebrew  sacred  books  have  nowhere  represented  hades 
as  having  a  king  over  it."  This  poetical  representa- 
tion, however,  is  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  strongly 
metaphorical  style  of  the  book. 

Acts  ii.  27,  31.  "  Because  thou  wilt  not  leave  my 
soul  in  hell  (AacZes,)  neither  wilt  thou  suffer  thine 
Holy  One  to  see  corruption.".  Of  this  quotation 
from  David,  Psalm  xvi.  10,  Peter  says,  "  He  seeing 
this  before,  spake  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  that 
his  soul  was  not  left  in  hell  (Jiades^)  neither  his  flesh 
did  see  corruption."  Of  course,  the  meaning  of 
hades  or  hell^  in  these  texts,  is  grave,  or  realm  of 
death,  as  in  the  preceding  passages.  It  is  the  same, 
also,  in  the  following  :  "  Thou  art  Peter  :  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  my  church,  and  the  gates  of 
hell  (hades,')  shall  not  prevail  against  it."  Matt.  xvi. 
18.  Le  Clerc  translates  "  the  gates  of  hell  "  portcB 
seioulchri,  or  "  the  gates  of  the  sepulchre,"  or  the 
grave  ;  and  says  the  meaning  of  the  passage  is,  that 
the  church  shall  never  die,  or  become  extinct. 
Stuart,  and  others,  take  a  similar  view.  ^ 

§  II.  Hades  is  used  also   as  a  figure  to   represent 

*  The  same  figure  is  found  in  Isa.  xxxviii.  10,  "I said  in  the  cutting 
off  of  iD.y  days,  I  shall  go  the  gates  of  the  grave''  (Shcol) ;  Psalm  ix. 
13,  "  Thou  liftest  rac  up  from  the  gates  of  death'";  cvii.  18,  "They 
draw  near  to  the  gates  of  death.''  Sheol  or  Hades  is  leprescnted  as  the 
Underworld,  tho  entrance  to  which  is  shut  up  by  gates;  and  in  Rev.  i. 
18,  Christ  is  said  to  have  the  "  keysof  hcU"  {hades),  the  gates  of  which 
lie  opened  by  his  Resurrection. 


THE   DOCTRINE    OF    HELL  —  HADES.  375 

a  condition  of  extreme  suffering^  or  utter  destruc' 
tion, 

"  And  thou,  Capernaum,  which  art  exalted  unto 
heaven,  shalt  be  brought  down  to  hell,"  (hades.) 
Matt.  xi.  23,  Luke  xi.  15.  The  meaning  of  this  is 
too  obvious  to  require  explanation. 

The  only  remaining  passage  is  Luke  xvi.  19-21. 
"  And  in  hell  (hades)  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in 
torment."  In  order  to  understand  this,  we  must  note 
the  following  particulars  : 

1.  It  is  not  a  history  ;  but  a  parable.  Not  a  liter- 
al relation  of  facts  respecting  individuals,  but  a  figu- 
rative representation  of  events  touching  the  Jews 
(the  Rich  Man,)  on  one  hand,  and  the  Gentiles 
(Lazarus,)  on  the  other ;  as  in  the  parables  of  the 
unfaithful  Husbandmen,  the  Marriage  Feast,  the 
Master  of  the  House,  &c.  Dr.  Bloomfield,  in  his 
Greek  Testament,  says,  "  The  best  commentators, 
both  ancient  and  modern,  with  reason  consider  it  as  a 
parahle ;  since  all  the  circumstances  seem  paraboli- 
cal, and  a  story  very  similar  to  it,  is  found  in  the 
Babylonian  Gemara."     So  Whitby. 

2.  If  a  parable,  it  must  be  interpreted  as  a  para- 
ble. We  must  not  expect  to  find  a  meaning  for  every 
particular,  but  look  only  to  the  main  scope  and  design 
of  the  parable.  The  "five  brethren,"  .  the  "  drop  of 
water,"  "  cooling  the  tongue,"  &c.,  have  no  more 
S2)ecial  meaning,  than  "  the  fatted  calf,"  "  the  ring," 
"  the  shoes,"  in  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son. 
*'  Comparison  is  not  to  be  extended,"  says  Professor 
Stuart,  "  to  all  the  circumstances  of  the  allegory. 
Thus,  in  the  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  the 
point  to  be  illustrated,  is  the  extent  of  the  duty  of  he- 


376  THEOLOGY  or  uxiveksalism. 

ncficence.  .  Most  of  tlic  circumstances  go  tp  make  up 
merely  the  veri-similitudc  of  the  narration,  so  that  it 
may  give  pleasure  to  him  who  hears  or  reads  it." 

3.  "  The  point  to  be  illustrated  "  in  the  parable  of 
the  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus,  is  the  rejection  and  pun- 
ishment of  the  JewSi  and  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles 
into  the  privileges  and  Messings  of  the  GospcL 
This  is  the  main  scope  and  design  of  the  parable,  and 
the  leading  particulars  have  significance  as  follows  : 

(a)  The  Rich  Man^  clothed  in  purple  and  fine 
linen,  and  faring  sumptuously  every  day,  represents 
the  Jews,  their  wealth  of  spiritual  privileges  and 
blessings,  "  because  that  unto  them  were  committed 
the  oracles  of  God  "  (Heb.  iii.  1-3,),  and  they  were 
favored  with  the  ministry  of  prophets  and  holy  men« 

(5)  Lazarus^  the  beggar,  feeding  on  crumbs,  and 
full  of  sores,  represents  the  Gentiles,  their  spiritual 
poverty  and  ignorance. 

(c)  Their  Death  vQT^vQ^Qiit^  respectively  the  change 
in  their  conditions,  which  took  place  on  the  setting  up 
of  the  Gospel  kingdom  in  the  earth.  The  Mich  Man 
dead,  is  the  Jewish  nation  dead  to,  or  deprived  of,  all 
its  former  privileges  and  gifts  of  divine  knowledge. 
Lazarus  dead,  is  the  Gentiles  dead  to  their  former 
condition  of  spiritual  poverty  and  unbelief.  Death 
in  both  cases  is  the  opposite  of  the  former  life  ;  as 
death  is  always  the  opposite  of  life. 

(fT)  Lazarus  in  Abraham' s  hosom,  represents  ihe 
Gentiles  translated  into  the  new  life  of  Gospel  faith, 
and  knowledge,  and  salvation. 

(e)  Tlie  liich  Man  in  torment  represents  the  Jews 
suflfering  the  punishment  of  their  sins,  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  city  and  temple,  and  the  sore  calami- 
ties which  have  fallen  on  them  ever  since. 


THE  BOCTPJXE   OF   SELL — HADES.  3?T 

(y)  The  great  gulf  represents  the  antagonism  of 
unbelief  between  Jews  and  Christians  (Gentiles,) 
and  the  utter  want  of  religious  sympathy  and  fellow- 
ship which  separates  the  two  people. 

(^)  The  request  of  the  Eich  Man  respecting  his 
five  brethren,  and  the  reply  of  Abraham,  are  only  put 
in  to  show  the  obstinacy  of  the  Jews  in  their  refusal 
to  believe  In  Christ  as  the  Messiah  ;  since,  if  their 
own  scriptures  (Moses  and  the  Prophets,)  could  not 
convince  them,  neither  would  they  be  persuaded  "  if 
one  went  unto  them  from  the  dead."  And  this  was 
literally  and  singularly  verified  ;  for  when  a  real  Laza- 
rus was  raised  from  the  dead  by  Jesus,  the  chief 
priests  and-pharlsees  not  only  refused  to  believe,  but 
were  so  enraged  that  they  sought  to  kill  both  Jesus 
and  Lazarus.     John  xl.  xli. 

The  same  thing  expressed  in  the  metaphors  of  this 
parable,  is  stated  in  direct  terms  In  other  passages  : 
"  The  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and 
given  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the  fruits  thereof." 
Matt.  xxi.  43.  "  It  was  necessary  the  wcrd  of  God 
should  first  have  been  spoken  to  you ;  but  seeing  ye 
put  It  from  you,  and  judge  yourselves  unworthy  of 
everlasting  life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the  Gentiles,  for  so 
hath  the  Lord  commanded  us,  saying,"  &c.  Acts 
xiil.  46.  "  There  shall  be  weeping,  and  gnashing  of 
teetli,  when  ye  see  many  coming  from  the  east  and 
from  the  west,  from  the  north  and  from  the  south, ' 
and  sitting  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in 
the  kingdom  of  God,  while  }  ou  yourselves  are  cast 
out  ;  "  or,  as  Matthew  has  it,  "  the  children  of  the 
kingdom  shall  be  cast  out."  Luke  xlil.  28,  29  ;  Matt, 
viii.    11,    12.     Of  course,   "  the   kingdom   of   G^d  " 


878  TilEOLOGY    OF    UxMVEP.SALlSM. 

cannot  refer  to  the  Immortal  state,  for  those  in  that 
heaven,  the  children  of  tMt  kingdom,  are  not  to  be 
cast  out.  The  kingdom  here  is  the  Gospel  kingdom 
on  earth,  *'  the  children  of  the  kingdom-"  the  Jews, 
60-called  because  of  the  special  favors  and  privileges 
bestowed  on  them  —  and  they  are  cast  out,  and  the 
Gentiles  received  in  their  place ;  just  as  the  Rich 
Man  and  Lazarus  change  conditions,  the  one  deprived 
of  his  "  good  things,  "  and  '*  tormented,  "  and  the 
other  delivered  from  his  "  evil  things,  "  and  *'  com- 
forted." ' 

Thus  we  see  that  -^diile  "  Abraham's  bosom,  '^ 
which  is  a  Jewish  idiom  or  phrase  for  the  blessed  life 
of  paradise,  represents  the  exaltation  of  the  Gentile 
world    to    the   privileges    of  God's    chosen    people  | 

^  Some  of  the  most  eminent  modern  oi'tliodox  commentators  allow  of 
this  application.  Dr.  Gill,  the  learned  Baptist  critic,  makes  a  two-fold 
application,  and  says  of  the  latter,  "  it  may  also  be  understood  of  the 
political  and  ecclesiastical  death  of  the  Jewish  people,  -which  lay  in  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  temple,  and  in  the  abolition  of  the 
temple  worship  and  the  whole  ceremonial  law,  and  a  death  of  aflSictiong 
by  captivity  and  calamities  of  every  kind,  attending  them  ever  since." 
Ill  hell  in  torments.  "  This,"  he  says,  "  may  regard  the  vengeance  of 
God  on  the  Jews  at  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,"  &c.  Lightfoot,  of 
the  Vv^estminster  Assembly,  says,  "the  main  scope  and  design  of  the 
parable  seems  this, —  to  hint  the  destruction  of  the  unbelieving  Jews; 
Avho  though  they  had  Moses  and  the  prophets,  did  not  believe  them." 
15vTE,  of  the  English  Church,  takes  the  same  view,  making  the  death  of 
Lazarus  the  introduction  of  the  Genfics  into  the  Church  of  God,  and 
the  death  of  the  rich  man  the  rejection  of  the  Jews*  See  the  citations  at 
large  in  Paige's  "  Selections  from  Eminent  Commentators."  This 
view  of  the  parable  is  to  be  found  also  among  the  Fathei's.  Augustine 
(A.  D.  400,)  says,  "  In  DIvite  intelligantur  superbi  Judffiorum,  igno- 
rantes  Dei  just'tiam,  &c. —  Queest.  Bvang.,  lib.  iii.  q.  38.  Gregort 
the  Great,  A.  D.  550,  says,  *'  Dives  iste  Judaicum  populum  dcsignat, 
&c.  IIoiiu  40  in  Evang:  and  in  Jl/oraZ.,  lib.  xxv.  c  13.  Tiieoi'uylact, 
A.  D.,  1050,  elaborates  this  as  a  probable  interpretation- —  Trench  on 
the  Paray^.. 


THE   DOCTRINE   OP  HELL— SADES.  379 

Hades ^  or  the  state  of  death,  represents  the  national 
death  of  the  Jews,  or  then-  utter  desolation  and  ruin 
as  a  people. 

But  we  discover  from  this  parable,  that  in  the  time 
of  Christ,  the  Jews  had  partially  adopted  the  pagan 
ideas  respecting  Hades^  or  the  Uiiderivorld^  viz ; 
that  it  contains  separate  apartments  for  the  good  and 
bad ;  and  that  in  Tartarus,  the  portion  assigned  to 
the  wicked,  there  were  tonnents^  flames,  &c.,  in  pun- 
ishment of  their  sins. 

This,  and  2  Pet.  ii.  4,  are  the  only  passages  in  the 
Bible  which  allude  to  this  fact.  Josephus,  how^ever, 
confirms  it.  He  speaks  of  suicides  beini[T  "  received 
into  the  darkest  part  of  Hades ; "  and  says  the 
Pharisees  held  that  under  the  earth  (Hades,)  there 
are  rewards  and  punishments  accordingly  as  they 
have  been  virtuous  or  vicious  in  this  life.  ^ 

The  Jews  had  no  such  notions  at  the  close  of  the 
Old  Testament,  as  we  have  seen  ;  and  during  the 
four  hundred  years  which  intervened  between  Mala- 
chi  and  Christ,  there  was  no  prophet,  no  revelation 
whatever.  They  could  not,  therefore,  have  obtained 
them  from  any  divine  source.  Whence,  then,  did 
they  obtain  them?  There  is  only  one  answer  possi-* 
ble — 'they  borrowed  them  from  the  heathen,  with 
whom  they  were  current ;  they  adopted  them  from 
the  Greek  and  Roman  mythology,  from  which  they 
had  taken  many  other  doctrines  and  opinions  not 
found  in  the  Law  or  the  Prophets.  Hence  the  words 
of  the  Saviour,   "  In  vain  they  do  worship  me,  teach- 

■"  Jewish  War,  Book  iii.  chapter  8,  sec.  5  See  also  the  Jeivisfi  Anti'> 
quUies,  Book  xviii.  chapter  u  seo.  2-0* 


B&O  THEOLOGY    OF   UXIVERSALISM. 

ing  for  doctrines  the  eomniandments  of  men ^  Mat!. 
XV.  6-9. ' 

Xow,  can  any  Christian  believe  that  our  Saviour 
adopted  these  superstitions  which  the  Jews  had  bor- 
rowed from  the  heatlien  ?  It  will  not  do  to  say  that 
he  revealed  the  doctrine  of  torments  in  a  hell  after 
death,  because  both  Jews  and  Heathen  believed  It 
before  he  came.  If,  therefore,  he  teaches  the  doc^ 
trine  in  the  parable  of  the  Eich  Man  and  Lazarus,  he 
teaches  a  heathen  doctrine  ;  for  it  is  certain  he  did  not 
take  it  from  the  Old  Testament,  because  it  is  not 
there  ;  and  he  w\as  not  sent  to  reveal  it,  because  if  it 
be  true,  it  was  already  revealed  to  the  heathen,  or 
they  had  found  it  out,  without  a  revelation,  ages  be- 
fore his  coming  ! 

It  is  plain,  therefore,  that  the  Saviour  simply  em- 
ploys this  heathenisli  notion  of  the  Jews,  in  para- 
ble,  as  an  illustration,  just  as  he  speaks  of  Beelzebub, 
the  Philistine  god  of  flies  (Matt.  x.  25,  xii.  24,)  or 
Mammon,  the  god  of  riches  (Matt.  vi.  24  ;)  without 
recognizing  the  existence  of  either,  or  sanctioning  be-^ 
lief  in  such  falsehoods  and  absurdities* 

We  do  the  same  thing  now,  w^hen  we  speak  of  "  St* 
Vitus's  Dance,"  "Kings  Evil,"  "  St.  Anthony's  Are," 
without  the  least  faith  in  the  superstition  which  gives 
these  names  to  the  particular  diseases  they  designate. 

'  The  trutli  is,  that  in  the  four  hundred  years  of  their  intercourse 
with  the  heathen,  during  which  they  Averc  without  any  divine  teacher 
or  message,  Pagan  i)hilosophy  and  sui:)erstition  had,  so  far  as  regarded 
the  future  state,  completely  pushed  aside  the  Law  of  Moses  and  the  Scrip* 
tures  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  set  up  in  place  of  them  the  most  cxti-av- 
agant  inventions  and  fables  respecting  the  mvisible  world.  See  this 
abundantly  proved  in  the  author's  "  Origin  and  History  of  the  Doctrine 
of  End'ess  Punishment."  cap.  iv. 


THE    DOCTRINE   OF    HELL  —  HADES.  381 

And  Univcrsalists  and  others  use  the  popular  terms 
"  Orthodox,"  and  "  Evangelical,"  merely  for  the 
sake  of  convenience,  without  admitting  that  those 
designated  arc  Orthodox  or  Evangelical. 

To  aro-ue  that  Christ  tau^-ht  or  sanctioned  the  doc- 
trine  of  this  Jewish  parable  respecting  the  future 
state,  instead  of  simply  using  it  for  illustration,  is  to 
argue  that  he  believed  it  as  there  set  forth.  But 
does  any  one  suppose  that  Christ  believed  that  heav- 
en and  hell  are  separated  by  a  great  gulf,  across 
which  the  inhabitants  can  see  each  other,  and  talk 
ton-ether?  that  the  damned  are  tormented  in  literal 
fire  and  flame  ?  that  they  have  tongues  whose  pain 
could  be  eased  by  a  drop,  or  an  ocean,  of  water? 
that  they  petition  Abraham,  or  any  one,  to  send  mes- 
sengers from  heaven  to  their  friends  on  earth,  to  warn 
them  against  the  torments  of  hell  ?  Of  course,  he- 
believed  nothing  of  the  kind ;  nor  is  he  at  all  respon- 
sible for  the  truth  of  such  pagan  dogmas,  because 
he  alludes  to  them  in  this  parable,  for  the  purpose  of 
enforcino-  a  warnino-  or  lesson.  ^ 

Thus    closes   the    examination    of  the     Scriptural 
usage  of  Hades^  which,  as  we  have  seen,  is  in  its  lit- 

^Dr.  Bloomfield,  of  the  English  Church,  says,  "  JM?  responsibilihj 
on  our  Lorcfs part  is  involved  in  this  case  ;  for  our  best  Commenta- 
tors and  Theologians  are  agreed  that  in  parabolic  narrations,  provided - 
the  doctrines  inculcated  be  strictly  true,  the  terms  in  which  they  are 
expressed,  may  be  adapted  to  the  prevailing  notions  of  those  to  whom 
they  are  addressed." —  Greek  Test.,  in  loco.  pr.MACKNTGHT, Scotch 
Presbyterian,  confesses  "  that  our  Lord's  descriptions  (in  this  parable) 
are  not  drawn  from  the  writings  of  the  Old  Testament,  but  have  a  re- 
markable afEnityto  the  descriptions  which  the  Grecian  poets  have  given. 
If  from  these  resemblances  it  is  thought  the  parable  is  formed  on  the 
Grecian  mythology,  it  will  not  at  all  follow  that  our  Lord  approved  of 
what  the  common  people  thought  or  spake  conceraing  those  matters, 
agreeably  to  the  notions  of  the  Greeks." 


38J  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

eral  sense  tlie  equivalent  of  Slieolm  every  text,  save 
the  last,  in  which  appear  the  heathen  notions  re- 
specting its  being  a  place  of  rewards  and  punish- 
ments, or  the  region  in  which  are  located  both  hell 
and  heaven.     The  following  facts  are  worthy  of  note  : 

1.  If  Hades  is  "  hell  "  in  the  ordinary  definition  of 
the  word,  then  the  soul  of  Christ  was  in  hell  after  his 
crucifixion.  "  Because  thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul 
in  hell.  He  spake  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  that 
his  soul  was  not  left  in  hell."     Acts  ii.  27,  31. 

2.  It  is  equally  true  of  all  in  hell,  that  they  will 
not  be  left  there  ;  for  the  Eevelator  says,  "  Death  and 
Hell  delivered  up  the  dead  which  were  in  them ;  and 
they  were  judged  every  man  according  to  his  works." 
XX.  13.  If  it  be  said  that,  after  they  are  judged, 
they  will  be  sent  back  again,  we  demand  the  proof. 
But  even  it  be  so,  Ave  still  have  to  note — 

3.  That  hell  is  to  be  utterly  destroyed.  To  say 
nothing  of  1  Cor.  xv.  6o,  "  O  death  where  is  thy 
sting  ?  O  hell  (Jiades)  where  is  thy  victory  ?  "  we 
have  the  direct  testimony  — "  And  death  and  hell 
were  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  This  is  the  second 
death."  Eev.  xx.  1-1.  And  these  two  passages  are 
the  exact  equivalent  of  Hosea  xiv.  14.  "  I  will  ran- 
som them  from  the  power  of  hell  QSTieol  —  Hades^ 
1  will  redeem  them  from  death  :  O  death,  I  will  be 
thy  plagues  ;  O  hell  QSheol  —  Hades,')  I  will  be  thy 
lestruction."     Dr.   Campbell  says,  on  Eev.   xx.  14, 

f  we  interpret  Hades,  Miel],'  in  the  Christian  sense 
of  the  word,  the  whole  passage  is  rendered  nonsense. 
Hell  is  represented  as  being  cast  into  hell ;  for  so  the 
lake  of  fire,  which  is  in  this  place  denominated  the 
second     death,    is   universally    interpreted."      The 


(. 


THE    DOCTRIXE    OP    nELL — HADES.  383 

phrase  "  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  "  is  a  figure  of  utter 
destruction.  It  is  simply  saying  "death  and  hell 
were  destroyed." 

4.  Of  course,  then,  Hades^  "  hell,"  is  not  a  place 
of  endless  torment,  otherwise  it  could  not  be  destroy- 
ed. Whatever,  therefore,  the  interpretation  given  to 
the  narration  of  Dives  and  Lazarus,  whether  regard- 
ed as  a  parable,  or  literal  history,  it  is  plain  that  the 
Rich  Man  was  not  in  a  place  of  endless  torment.  Or, 
in  the  more  general  phrase  of  Prof.  Stuart  :  "  What- 
ever the  state  of  either  the  righteous  or  the  wicked 
may  be,  whilst  in  Hades^  that  state  will  certainly 
cease,  and  be  exchanged  for  another  at  the  general 
resurrection."  ' 

i  Those  "who  "would  see  an  argument  for  Hades  as  an  intermediate 
state,  a  view  which  seems  to  be  growing  among  the  sects,  may  read  an 
article  in  the  Baptist  "  Christian  E£vie"V\^  "  for  Api'il,  18G2,  on  "  The 
Righteous  Dead,  betiveen  Death  and  the  Resurrection  ;^''  and  on  the 
other  side,  see  "  Bibliotheca  Sacra  "for  January,  1862,  "  Tlie  Ipirits 
in  Prison."  The  last  writer  thinks  the  idea  of  future  oi3portunities 
for  repentance  and  salvation  is  "  gaining  new  adherents  at  the 
present  time;"  and  refers  to  Rev,  B.  H.  Wilson's  essay  on  the  "  Fa. 
tional  Church,"  in  the  "Recent  Inquiries  in  Theology  by  eminent 
English  Churchmen."  In  this  essay,  the  author, alluding  to  the  Lim- 
bus  Infantum  of  the  Catholic  Church,  says  there  may  be  mansions 
hereafter  for  those  who  are  "  infants  in  spiritual  development— nurse- 
ries, or  seed  grounds,  where  the  undeveloped  may  p;row  up  under  new 
conditions,  the  stunted  become  strong,  and  the  perverted  restored." 
and  that  finally  when  '•  Christ  shall  have  surrendered  his  kiugdoui  io 
the  Great  Father,  all,  both  small  and  great,  shall  find  a  refuge  in  the 
bosom  of  the  universal  parent,  to  rej)Ose,  or  be  quickened  into  higher 
life,  in  the  ages  to  come,  according  to  his  will."  p.  232,  Amei-ican 
edition.  Dr.  Watts,  even,  thought  that  "the  perfections  of  God  will 
contrive  a  way  of  escape  for  the  repentant  sinner  hereafter,"  though  he 
has  not  revealed  this. —  World  to  Come,  Works,  i.  738. 


884  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALI8M. 


SECTIONIII. 

GEHENNA  —  ITS  SCRIPTURAL  MEANING  AND  USAGE — "DESTRUCTION 
OF  SOUL  AND  BODY  IN  HELL  " — WAS  IT  USED  IN  THE  TIME  OF 
CHRIST  AS  A  SYMBOL  OF  FUTURE  PUNISHMENT  ? 

risvvcc  —  Gehenna^  occurs  twelve  times  in  the  New 
Testament,  and  is  in  every  case  translated  HelL 
Five  of  the  twelve  examples  are  parallel  passages, 
which  reduces  the  actual  usage  to  seven. 

I.  Origin  and  meaning  of  the  word.  It  is  uni- 
versally agreed  that  Gehenna  is  the  Greek  form  of 
Gee  Hinnonn  a  compound  Hebrew  word,  signifying 
the  valley  of  Hinnom.  The  history  of  this  place  is 
given  as  follows,  by  the  learned  Calmet,  a  Catholic 
critic  and  theologian: 

"  Gehenna  properly  signifies  the  valley  of  Hinnom, 
a  valley  just  south  of  Jerusalem.  The  valley  is 
called  Tophet,  (Jeremiah  vii.  31,)  from  the  drums 
which  were  beaten  to  drown  the  cries  of  the  victims. 
After  the  captivity,  the  Jews  regarded  this  spot  with 
abhorrence,  on  account  of  the  abominations  which 
had  been  practised  there,  and  following  the  example 
of  Josiah,  they  threw  into  it  every  species  of  filth,  as 
well  as  the  carcasses  of  animals,  and  the  dead  bodies 
of  malefactors.  To  prevent  the  pestilence  which 
such  a  mass  would  occasion,  if  left  to  putrefy,  con- 
rtant  fires  were  maintained  in  the  valley  in  order  to 
consume  tlie  whole,  and  hence  the  place  received  the 
appelhition  of  Gehenna  fire^ 

With  this  ao-rees  the  statement  of  Prof.  Stuart  of 
Andover  :    "  It  would  seem  that  the  custom  of  desc- 


THE   DOCTRINE    OF   HELL  —  GEHENNA.         385 

crating  this  place,  thus  happily  begun,  was  continued 
in  after  ages,  down  to  the  period  when  our  Saviour 
was  on  the  earth.  Perpetual  fires  were  kept  up  in 
order  to  consume  the  offal  which  was  deposited  there. 
And  as  the  same  offal  would  breed  worms,  (for  so  all 
putrifying  meat  does,  of  course,)  hence  came  the  ex- 
pression, '  where  the  worm  dieth  not  and  the  fire  is 
not  quenched.'  " 

Schleusner,  the  learned  German  Lexicographer, 
after  stating  the  same  facts,  says,  "Hence  it  came, 
that  any  severe  punishment^  especially  an  infamous 
kind  of  death,  was  described  hy  the  word  Gehenna ^ 
or  hell."' 

II.  Old  Testament  usage.  In  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures,  the  word  seems  to  be  employed  in  its 
literal  sense  only,  as  the  name  of  a  place,  a  valley  on 
the  south  of  Jerusalem,  which,  as  above  stated,  after 
the  time  of  Josiah,  was  held  in  special  abomination, 
because  of  the  idolatrous  worship  set  up  there.  The 
following  are  all  the  passages  in  the  Old  Testament 
in  which  it  occurs. 

Josh.  XV.  8.  "  And  the  border  went  up  by  the 
valley  of  the  Son  of  Hinnom^  unto  the  south  side  of 
the  Jebusite,"  &c.  2  Kings  xxiii.  10.  "And  he 
(Josiah)  defiled  Topheth,  which  is  in  the  valley  of 
the  children  of  Ilinnom^  that  no  man  might  make  his 
fion  or  daughter  pass   through   the   fire  to  Molecli." 

'*  Lexicon  on  Geheiina.  He  says,  also,  that  it  is  used  as  a  symbol  of 
Ihe  future  torments  of  the  -wicked  in  the  New  Testament,  but  this  is  as- 
suming the  point  to  be  proved.  It  is  not  enough  to  quote  a  passage, 
and  say  it  means  this.  We  ask,  why?  where  is  the  evidence?  The  tes- 
timony given  in  the  text  is  repeated  by  Whitby,  Claeke,  Busn,Ro- 
SEXMULLER,  ]\Iacknigiit,  Paekiiurst,  and  Biblical  scholars  of  every 
denomination. 


386  THEOLOGY    OF  UNIVErvSALISM. 

2  Cliron.  xxviii.  3.  "  Moreover  be  (Aliaz)  burnt  in- 
cense in  the  valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnom^  and  burnt 
his  chiklren  in  the  fire,  after  the  abominations  of  the 
heathen."  Jer.  vii.  31,  32  ;  xix.  2-6,  are  repetitions 
of  this  fact,  with  the  prophet's  terrible  denunciations 
of  judgment  upon  the  guilty  people  of  Judah,  for 
these  idolatrous  cruelties,  for  their  wicked  apostacy 
from  the  law  and  worship  of  Jehovah. 

It  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  used  in  any  of  these 
texts  as  a  figure,  or  as  a  symbol  of  judgment.  It  is 
employed  rather  in  the  vray  of  contrast  or  compari- 
son, thus  :  "  I  will  make  this  city  as  Tophet  (or  Ge- 
henna^  Tophet  being  the  place  of  sacrifice  in  Gee 
Hinnom ;)  and  the  houses  of  Jerusalem,  and  the 
kings  of  Judah,  shall  be  defiled  as  the  place  of 
Tophet,"  &c.,  and  "  it  shall  be  called  the  valley  of 
slaughter."  Jer.  xix.  Here  the  sense  is  evidently 
literal,  and  the  prophet  says  that  Jerusalem  shall  be- 
come as  defiled  and  desolate  as  Gee  Hinnom  or 
Tophet  —  as  we  say,  by  way  of  comparison,  "  bar- 
ren as  a  desert,"  "  loathsome  as  a  slaughter  house." 

Isaiah  has  the  following  :  "  They  shall  go  forth, 
and  look  upon  the  carcasses  of  the  men  that  have 
transgressed  against  me  ;  for  their  worm  shall  not 
die,  neither  shall  their  fire  be  quenched  ;  and  they 
shall  be  an  abhorring  unto  all  flesh."  Ixvi.  23-24. 
The  entire  context  shows  that  this  language,  which  is 
descriptive  of  some  of  the  disgusting  accompaniments 
of  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  is  used  in  its  literal  sense. 
Verses  14  and  15,  represent  the  Lord  as  coming 
"  like  a  whirlwind  to  render  his  anger  with  fury,  .  .  . 
for  by  fire  and  by  his  sword  will  the  Lord  plead  with 
all  flesh  ;  and  the  slain  of  the  Lord  shall  be  many." 


THE   DOCTRINE   OF   UELL —GEHENNA.      oO< 

And  tlien  to  show  how  great  the  number,  he  repre- 
gents  "  the  carcasses  of  the  men  who  have  transgress- 
ed "  as  lying  in  such  heaps  in  Geehinnom,  or  "the 
valley  of  slaughter,"  that  the  fires  would  not  be 
quenched,  or  would  be  continually  burning  to  con- 
sume them,  and  the  worms  continually , breeding  from 
the  putrefaction.  There  is  nothing  figurative  in  this, 
but  a  prophetic  statement  of  simple  fiicts  ;  and  the 
"  new  moons  "  and  "  sabbaths,"  the  "  going  forth  " 
and  "looking  on  the  circasses,"  &c.,  confirm  the  lit- 
eral sense  of  the  language  used.  ' 

III.  The  Neio  Testament  usage.  We  come  now 
to  examine  the  usage  of  Gehenna^  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, where  we  shall  find  that,  though  it  has  not 
w^holly  lost  its  literal  signification,  it  has  taken  on 
another,  viz  :  a  figurative  or  symbolic  meaning.  And 
the  first  point  we  have  to  consider  here,  is  the  asser- 
tion so  confidently  and  universally  made  by  those  be- 
lieving in  the  doctrine,  that  "  it  was  used  by  the  Jews 
in  the  time  of  the  Saviour,  to  describe  the  future  tor- 
ment of  the  wicked  ;  and  that,  therefore,  he  must 
have  used  it  in  the  same  sense,  if  he  expected  the 
people  to  understand  him."  Let  us  then  proceed  to 
the  review  of  this  point ;  and  in  order  to  have  it  be- 
fore us  in  a  definite  shape  for  discussion,  we  will  put 
it  in  the  form  of  a  question  — 

Was  Gehenna  used  in  the  time  of  Christ  as  the 
symbol  of  future  punishment  f 

*  A  careful  examiuation  of  the  jDassages  will  show,  1  think,  that  Gee 
Hir,  no m\s  not  \xsc(\.  in  the  Old  Testament,  as  commonly  stated,  as  a 
symbol  or  emblem  of  judgment;  but  simply  in  its  literal  sense,  as  the 
name  of  the  valley  South  of  Jerusalem.  The  most  that  can  be  said  of 
it  is,  that  it  is  employed  in  comparison — Jerusalem  shall  be  as  Geehin- 
Bom  or  Tophct. 


388  THEOLOGY    OF    UNI  VERS  ALISM. 

It  is  admitted  that  in  tlic  four  hundred  years  be- 
tween the  Old  Testament  and  the  New,  the  word 
Gehenna  had  come  to  be  used  as  a  symbol,  or  figure, 
of  judgment  or  punishment ;  but  what  kind  of  judg- 
ment ?  -what  kind  of  punishment  ?  In  order  to  an- 
swer this,  we  must  refer  to  the  literature  of  that  age  ; 
to  such  records  or  writings  as  have  come  down  to  us 
from  the  time  of  Christ,  or  such  times,  antecedent 
and  subsequent,  as  may  serve  to  determine  the  mean- 
ins  and  usas^e  of  the  word.  The  followino;  are  all  the 
competent  witnesses  in  the  case  : 

{a)  B.  C.  280-150.  The  Septuagint,  the  Greek 
translation  of  the  Old  Testament,  made  between  the 
dates  here  given,  uses  the  Avord  only  in  its  literal 
sense,  as  the  name  of  a  valley  south  of  Jerusalem. 
This  is  proof,  that  up  to  within  150  years  before 
Christ,  it  had  not  lost  its  literal,  etymological  mean- 
ing. 

(5)  B.  C.  150-50.  The  Apocryi^ha^  are  the  only 
Jewish  writings  of  this  period  extant,  and  therefore 
the  only  authority  in  the  case.  The  Wisdom  of 
Solomon,  and  the  Second  Book  of  Maccabees,  the 
only  books  containing  any  allusion  to  future  punish- 
ment, come  within  these  dates.  Gehenna  is  not  found 
in  either  of  them.  Though  they  constantly  speak  of 
the  torments  of  the  wricked  after  death,  they  never 
use  this  word  to  designate  the  place  of  them,  or  to 
describe  the  character  of  them.  It  is  scarcely  possi- 
ble they  could  have  avoided  using  it,  if  it  had  acquir- 
ed this  meaning  at  this  date,  i.  e.  within  fifty  years  of 
Christ. 

(c)  B.  C.  30  —  A.  D.  40.  Philo  Judceus.  The 
dates  show   Philo  to   have   lived   and  written  in  the 


THE   DOCTKINE   OF  HELL— GEHEXXA.       3S9 

fery  times  of  the  Saviour.  He  was  an  Egj-plian 
Jew,  of  the  sect  of  the  Pharisees,  and  a  believer  in 
punishment  after  death.  He  frequently  introduces 
the  subject,  and  describes  the  place  of  torment  as  "■  a 
dark  region,  covered  with  profound  night,  and  per- 
petual blackness ;  "  but  he  never  calls  it  Gehenna, 
The  word  is  nowhere  found  in  his  works.  Of  course, 
as  Philo's  works  cover  the  very  ground  in  dispute, 
there  is  not  a  line  of  evidence  to  prove  that  Gehenna 
was  used  by  the  Jews  of  our  Saviour's  time,  to  signi- 
fy a  place  of  endless  torment  for  the  wicked.  And 
this  will  be  confirmed  by  the  next  witness. 

(cT)  A.  D.  TO-ICO.  Josephiis  wrote  immediately 
after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  He  was  a  Phari- 
see, and  a  believer  in  future  punishment.  He  gives 
an  account  of  the  opinions  of  the  various  Jewish 
sects,  and  often  states  his  own  belief  on  this  point  at 
great  length  ;  but  he  never  uses  the  word  Gehenna 
to  represent  this  belief,  or  in  any  way  to  describe  the 
miseries  of  the  damned.  And,  speaking  on  this  sub- 
ject as  often  as  he  does,  it  seems  utterly  impossible,  if 
Gehenna  had  taken  on  this  meaning  in  his  time,  that 
he  should  not  have  employed  it  in  this  sense.  Those 
who  believe  in  endless  torment,  at  this  day,  constant- 
ly use  the  word  "hell  "  to  express  this  idea  ;  and  if 
"  Gehenna  "  had  the  same  meanino;  amonof  the  Jews 
in  the  time  of  our  Saviour,  we  should  certainly  find 
it  so  used  in  those  passages  of  Philo  and  Josephus, 
where  they  discuss  this  subject.  But  instead  of  this, 
as  observed,  it  is  not  found  in  a  single  instance  in  all 
their  voluminous  writings  ! 

(e)  A.  D.  100-200.  From  the  time  of  Josephus 
onward,   there  is   an  interval  of  about  one  hundred 


890  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

years,  in  which  wc  have  no  Je\vish  writings  what* 
ever.  This  was  the  period  which  followed  the  de- 
Btruction  of  their  city  and  nation,  when  they  were 
Bcattered  over  the  earth  as  chaff  before  the  wind. 

(/)  A.  D.  200.  The  Targum  of  Jonathan  Ben 
tJzziel,  which  has  been  cited  as  proof  of  the  usage  of 
Gehenna^  in  the  time  of  Christ,  was  not  written  till 
two  hundred  years  after  Christ ;  and  is,  therefore,  no 
proof  at  all.  In  this  Targum  we  find  the  word  used 
to  describe  the  torments  of  the  wicked  after  death  ; 
but  its  late  date  takes  it  out  of  the  discussion.  * 

There  is,  therefore,  no  proof  whatever  from  con- 
temporary usage,  to  show  the  meaning  of  Gehenna 
in  the  New  Testament.  Its  usage,  therefore,  must 
determine  its  meaning.  And,  on  examination,  we 
find  that  it  is  probably  used  in  its  literal  sense  in  the 
first  passage  where  it  occurs  : 

"  Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old 
time.  Thou  sh alt  not  kill ;  and  whoeoever  shall  kill, 
shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment.  But  I  say  unto 
you,  That  whosoever  is  angry  witli  his  brother  with- 
out  cause,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment ;  and 

*  Dr.  Jahn  assigns  jt  to  the  end  of  the  3d  century  after  Christ;  Eicn- 
SiiORN  decides  for  the  4th  century;  BerTholdt  inclines  to  the  2d  or  3d 
century  >  and  is  confident  tliat  it  '*  cannot  have  attained  its  present  com- 
plete form,  before  the  end  of  the  second  century."  Bauer  coincides 
generally  in  these  views.  Some  critics  put  the  date  even  as  low  down 
as  the  7th  or  8th  century.  See  a  full  discussion  of  the  question  ia  the 
Univers;ilist  Expositor^  ii.  351'-368»  Sec>  also,  Horne's  Introduction, 
ii.  157-1(53.  Justin  Mvrtyr,  A.  D.  150,  and  Clement  of  vilexandria, 
A.  D.,  195,  botli  employ  Gehenna  to  designate  the  place  of  future  pun- 
ishment; but  the  first  utters  an  opinion  only  ofits  meaning  in  a  certain 
text,  and  the  last  was  a  Universalist,  and  did  not,  of  course,  believe 
that  Gehenna  was  the  place  of  endless  punishment.  Augustine,  A. 
D.,  400,  says  Gehenna,  '*  slugnum  ignis  et  sulphuris  corporeusigr.it 
eriL''--D^  Civitatc  Dei,  L.  xxi.  o.  10. 


THE   DOCTRINE   OF   HELL  —  GEHENNA.       391 

whosoever  shall  say  to  his  brother,  Eaca,  shall  be  in 
danger  of  the  council ;  but  whosoever  shall  say, 
Thou  fool,  shall  be  in  danger  of  hell  fire,"  or  the  fire 
of  Gehenna.     Matt.  v.  22. 

It  is  plain  that  reference  is  had  here  to  the  punish- 
ment of  burning  alive  in  the  valley  of  Hinnom. 
"  There  are  three  offences  here  which  exceed  each 
other  in  their  degrees  of  guilt,  1.  Anger  against  a 
man,  accompanied  with  some  injurious  act.  2,  Ob^i- 
tempt,  expressed  by  the  opprobrious  epithet  o^aca,  or 
shallow  brains,  3,  Hatred  and  mortal  enmity^  ex- 
pressed by  the  term  morek^  or  apostate,  where  such 
apostacy  could  not  be  proved. 

Now  proportioned  to  these  three  offences,  were 
three  different  degrees  of  punishment,  each  exceeding 
the  other  in  its  severity,  as  the  offences  exceed  each 
other  in  their  different  degrees  of  guilt.  1,  The 
judgment^  the  council  of  twenty-three,  which  could 
inflict  the  punishment  of  strangling.  2,  The  SanJie- 
drim^  or  great  council,  which  could  inflict  the  punish- 
ment of  stoning.  And  3.  The  being  burnt  alive  in 
the  valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnom.  This  appears  to 
be  the  meaning  of  our  Lord,"  * 

It  is  impossible  to  believe  the  Saviour  meant  to  say 
that  the  difference  between  calling  a  man  a  block- 
head, and  calling  him  an  apostate  (the  meaning  of 
"  thou  fool,")  was  so  great,  that  while  the  offender  in 
oiic  case  would  only  be  stoned,  in  the  other  he  would 
be  given  over  to  eternal  tortures  !  There  is  no  pro- 
portion here  ;  but  there  is  some  just  relation  between 
being   stoned   and  being  burned  alive,  in  comparison 

'  A.  Clarke  on  the  passage.  Kuinoel,  Rosenmuller,  Townsend, 
and  Gthersj  take  tkis  view;  as  may  be  seen  in  Paige's  Selections, 


E92  THEOLOGY   OF   UNTVERSALISM. 

-with  tlic  respective  oiFences.  The  simple  meaning  of 
the  passage  is,  that  uncl^r  the  Christian  law,  causeless 
anger,  and  malignant  speech  against  a  brother,  would 
be  regarded  as  criminal,  and  as  deserving  of  punish- 
ment, as  the  greatest  crimes  "  by  them  of  old  time." 
And  the  thought  is  illustrated  by  reference  to  offences 
and  punishments  with  which  the  people  were  fami- 
liar. 

But  chiefly  Gehenna  is  used  in  the  New  Testament, 
as  an  emblem  of  anything  foul  and  disgusting,  and 
especially  as  the  symbol  of  terrible  and  destructive 
judgments. 

James  ill.  6,  is  an  example  of  the  first  meaning. 
Speaking  of  the  tongue,  he  says,  "  It  defile th  the 
whole  body,  and  setteth  on  fire  the  course  of  nature  ; 
and  is  set  on  fire  of  hell,"  Gehenna.  The  meaning  is 
obvious,  though  the  translation  may  be  awkward. 
An  impure  and  licentious  tongue,  or  conversation.  In- 
flames the  pij^ssions  and  lusts,  and  "  defileth  the 
whole  body."  And  to  describe  the  filthiness  of  such 
a  tongue,  he  refers,  in  figure,  to  that  loathsome  place, 
Gehenna,  with  all  its  rottenness.  Its  foul  fires,  putre- 
faction, worms  and  stench.  And  nothing  could  be 
more  graphic  or  forcible  to  a  Jew. 

In  Matt.  xili.  15,  the  Saviour  says  to  the  Pharisees, 
"  Ye  compass  sea  and  land  to  make  one  proselyte,  and 
when  lie  is  made,  ye  make  him  two-fold  more  the 
child  of  hell  than  yourselves."  It  Is  quite  probable 
that  he  uses  Gehenna  here  In  the  same  sense  In  which 
James  employs  it ;  In  the  same  sense  in  which  he  uses 
"  whitcd  sepulchres  "  In  verse  27,  to  represent  their 
corrupt  and  criminal  character,  their  moral  unclean- 
ness  and  vileness. 


THE   DOCTRINE  OF   HELL  — GEHENNA.       393 

But  in  verse  33,  it  is  evidently  employed  as  a  sym- 
bol of  judgment.  "  Ye  serpents,  ye  generation  o^ 
vipers,  how  can  ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell  ?  " 
Here,  unquestionably,  "  damnation  of  hell,"  or  Ge- 
henna, points  out  the  terrible  calamities  and  utter 
ruin  coming  upon  the  guilty  nation,  as  the  punish- 
ment of  their  unbelief  and  sin;  and  of  which  he 
says  farther  on,  verse  36,  "  Yerily  I  say  unto  you,  all 
these  things  shall  come  upon  this  generation.,^ ' 

Matt.  X.  28,  "  And  fear  not  them  which  kill  the 
body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul ;  but  rather 
fear  him  which  is  able  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body 
in  hell," —  Gehenna, 

Luke  xii.  5.  "Be  not  afraid  of  them  that  kill  the 
body,  and  after  that  have  no  more  that  they  can  do. 
But  I  will  forewarn  you  whom  you  shall  fear.  Fear 
him  which  after  he  hath  killed,  hath  power  to  cast 
into  hell,"  —  Gehenna.  Several  things  are  to  be 
noted  here : 

1.  The  same  terms  are  applied  to  both  body  and 
soul:  "kill  the  body"  and  "kill  the  soul "  ;  "de- 
stroy both  soul  and  body  in  hell."  IN'ow,  if  killing 
the  body  is  destroying  the  life  of  it,  killing  the  sou3 
is  the  same  thing ;  and  this  is  plain  from  the  fact  that 
the  soul  is  destroyed  in  the  same  sense  as  the  body. 
And  the  body,  the  same  body  that  men  can  kill,, is  to 
be  destroyed  in  the  same  way,  and  in  the  same  hell^ 
as  the  souL  Of  course,  therefore,  the  hell  must  be 
of  such  sortj  and,  if  a  "place.,  so  located  as  to  reach 
the  earthly  body.  It  cannot,  therefore,  be  a  hell 
such  as  is  believed  in  now,  because  no  one  supposes 
that  this  body  of  flesh,  which  men  can  kill,  is  to  be 
tortured  with  the  soul. 


Sf94  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISif. 

2.  The  text  does  not  say  that  God  will  destroy 
eonl  and  body,  but  only  that  he  is  able  to  do  it ;  nor 
docs  the  parallel  text  say  that,  after  he  hath  killed, 
he  loill  cast  into  hell,  or  utterly  destroy,  but  only 
that  he  JiatJi  j)Ower  to  do  it.  In  Matt.  iii.  9,  Christ 
Bays  that  "  God  is  able  of  these  stones  to  raise  up 
children  imto  Abraham  "  ;  but  he  does  not  mean  ta 
say  he  will  db  it.  And  in  Matt.  xxvi.  53,  he  says  he 
could  pray  for  and  receive  to  his  help  twelve  legions 
of  angels,  but  he  did  not;  do  it. 

3.  If  the  text  asserts  that  God  will  destroy  both; 
soul  and  body,  and  not  simply  that  he  is  able  to  ;  or, 
in  other  words,  if  it  teaches  what  is  certain,  and  not 
what  is  possible,  then  it  proves,  not  the  endless  tor-> 
ment  of  the  vricked,  but  utter  extinction  of  beins^,. 
the  annihilation  of  soul  and  body  together. 

4.  The  phrase  seems  to  have  been  a  kind  of  proverb, 
expressive  of  complete  destruction.  Isaiah  employs 
it  in  this  sense  :  "  The  Lord  shall  kindle  a  burning^ 
like  the  burning  of  fire,. ,  .  .  .  and  it  shall  burn  and 
devour  his  thorns  and  his  briers  in  one  day ;  and 
shall  consume  the  glory  of  his  forest,  and  of  his  fruit- 
ful field,  both  soul  and  hody^  x.  16-18.  This  re- 
fers to  national  overthrow,  "  a  proverbial  expression,"' 
Bays  Dr.  Clarke,  signifying  "  that  they  should  be  en- 
tirely and  altogether  consumed.''^ 

What  Christ  intends  to  say  in  this  passage  is  simply 
this  ;  If  you  are  tempted  to  deny  me  and  the  truth 
through  fear  of  persecution  and  death,  (as  Peter  was 
afterward,)  remember  that  God  can  bring  greater 
judgments  upon  you  for  your   abandonment  of   thi? 

■*  Query.  What  are  the  soul  and  body  of  forests  aud  fruitful  fieldat 
How  impossible  to  interpret  such  phraseology  literally. 


THE    DOCTRINE    OF   HELL  —  GEHE^y^NA.     SP5 

gospel,  than  men  can  for  your  defence  of  it,  Mea 
can  kill  the  body,  and  after  that  have  no  more  that 
they  can  do  ;  but  God  can  kill  the  soul,  can  destroy 
soul  and  body  together.  You  should  fear  him, 
therefore,  rather  than  men ;  and  to  enforce  the  lesson 
he  pictures  this  judgment  under  the  well-known 
figure  of  Gehenna^  or  of  hcing  cast  into  Gehenna. 

But  to  show  that  he  was  speaking  only  of  what 
was  possible,  and  that,  faithful  to  the  truth,  they  had 
nothing  to  fear ;  he  says,  in  the  very  next  words, 
that  God,  in  his  special  care  of  them,  had  numbered 
the  very  hairs  of  their  heads  ;  that  not  a  sparrow 
fell  to  the  ground  without  his  knowledge,  much  less 
would  they  —  ^'fear  ye  not^  therefore,  ye  are  of  more 
value  than  many  sparrows," 

Matt.  Y.  29.  "  And  if  thy  right,  Mark  ix.  43.  "  And  if  thy  hand 
eye  offend  thee,  pluck  it  out  and  cast  offend  thee,  cut  it  off;  it  is  better 
it  from  thee;  for  it  is  profitable  for  for  thee  to  enter  into  life  maimed, 
thee  thatoncof  thy  members  should  than  having  two  hands,  to  go  into 
perish,  and  not  that  thy  whole  bo- j hell  {Gehenna,)  into  the  fire  that 
dy  should  be  cast  into  hell"— Ge- never  shall  be  quenched  ;  where 
henna.  'their  worm  dicth  not,  and  the  fire 

30.  "And  if  thy  right  hand  is  not  quenched." 
offend  thee,  cut  it  off,  and  cast  it  {  45.  "And  if  thy  foot  offend  thee, 
from  thee,  for  it  is  profitable  for  cut  it  off',  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter 
thee  that  one  of  thy  members  should  halt  into  life,  than  having  two  feet 
perish,  and  not  that  thy  whole  bo-  to  bo  cast  into  hell  ( Gehenna,)  into 
dy  should  be  cast  into  hell"— Ge-, the  fire  that  never  shall  be  quench- 
henna.  ed  ;  where  tlieir  worm  dieth  not. 

Matt,  xviii.  9.  "And  if  thine' and  the  fire  is  not  quenched." 
eye  offend  thee,  ijluck  it  out,  and!  47.  "And  if  thine  eye  offend 
cast  it  from  thee;  it  is  better  for  thee,  pluck  it  out;  it  is  better  for 
thee  to  outer  into  life  wath  one  eye, 'thee  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
rather  than  having  two  eyes  to  bo  God,  with  one  eye,  than  having  two 
cast  into  hell-fire"^-  Gehenna  to u  eyes  to  be  cast  into  hell-fire;  where 
pur  OS.  their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire 

'is  not  quenched." 

These  are  the  only  remaining  passages  where 
Gehenna  occurs,  and  the  reader  will  see  how  largely 
they  are  repetitions,  merely  for  the  purpose  of  em  - 
phasis.     The  same  thing  is  said  of  the  eye,  the  hand 


396  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALIS31, 

and  the  foot ;  and  wliile  Matthew  and  Mark  report 
the  same  sayings  of  Jesus,  thereby  doublmg  the  num- 
ber of  passages,  Matthew  repeats  in  chapter  xviii. 
what  he  had  previously  recorded  in  chapter  v.  So 
that  though  Gehenna  appears  six  times,  a  comparison 
of  the  passages  reduces  them  to  a  single  example. 
The  only  difference  in  the  texts  being  the  addition  by 
Mark  of  some  of  the  loathsome  accompaniments  of 
Gehenna^  the  undying  worm  and  the  unquenchable 
fire.  And  in  this,  the  only  instance  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament where  they  are  associated  with  GeTienna^  the 
Saviour  doubtless  had  in  mind  the  passage  in  Isaiah 
Ixvi.  :  ''  They  shall  go  forth  and  look  upon  the  car- 
casses of  the  men  who  have  transgressed  against  me ; 
for  their  worm  dieih  not^  neither  shall  their  fire  he 
quenched —  and  they  shall  be  an  abhorring  unto  all 
flesh."  The  expressions  in  both  cases  being  intensive, 
employed  to  deepen  the  coloring  of  the  sombre  pic- 
ture of  judgment,  and  to  add  terribleness  to  the  de- 
scription.* 

1  That  the  ixndying  Tvorm  and  the  uiiquenchahle  fire  are  not  expressive 
of  endless  duration,  the  following  facts  arc  in  evidence: 

Strabo  calls  the  lamp  in  the  Parthenon,  and  PLUTAr.CK  calls  the  sa- 
cred tire  of  a  temple,  "  unquenchable,"  though  they  were  extinguished 
ages  ago.  JosEnius  says  the  lire  on  the  altar  of  the  temple  at  Jerusa- 
lem was  "always  unquenchable,"  uaiiioiov  lai,  though  the  fire  had 
gone  out  and  the  temple  was  destroyed  at  the  time  of  his  writing. 
EusEBius  says  certain  martyrs  of  Alexandria  "  were  burned  in  un- 
quenchable fire,"  though  it  was  extinguished  in  the  course  of  an  hour! 
All  the  phrase  means  is  that  the  fire  was  thoroughly  destructive,  burn» 
ing  till  it  had  consumed  all— a  metaphor  for  complete  destruction.  The 
following  from  a  war  speech  by  an  "  Evangelical"  clergyman,  will  il- 
lustrate its  scriptural  use  and  meaning:  —  "God's  fan  is  in  his  hand, 
and  he  will  thoroughly  purge  this  nation.  The  wheat— maintenance  of 
Government,  loyalty  to  God,  and  the  freedom  of  all— shall  be  garnei-ed 
up  to  enrich  the  nation's  future.  But  the  chaff-  impiety,  rebellion  and 
Blavcry-  shall  be  buru'cd  with  unquenchable  fire."    That  is,  they  shall 


THE  DOCTRINE    OF    HELL — GEHENNA.  EV7 

Tlie  plain  meaning  of  the  Saviour  is  this  :  It  is 
better  for  you  to  give  up  all  worldly  intei'ests^,  though 
dear  as  your  right  eye  or  right  hand,  if  they  keep 
you  back  from  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  gospel  king- 
dom, the  life  of  divine  truth  ;  for  it  is  better  to  part 
with  these,  and  become  my  disciples,  and  enjoy  that 
eternal  life  which  is  to  know  God,  and  Jesus  Christ 
whom  he  has  sent;  than,  retaining  these,  to  refuse 
the  truth  of  Ood,  the  gospel  of  his  Son,  and  so  have 
part  in  the  fiery  judgment  which  is  coming  u]yon  this 
wicked  generation.  And  in  order  to  set  forth  the 
terrible  and  utterly  destructive  character  of  this  judg- 
ment, this  day  of  wrath,  he  describes  it  under  the 
figure  of  Gehenna,  with  its  unquenchable  fires,  its 
perpetual  putrefaction  and  ever  breeding  worms.^ 

Gehenna,  then,  was  used  to  represent  any  dreadful 
judgment  or,  as  Schleusuer  says,  "  any  severe  pun- 
isment,  especially  an  infamous  kind  of  death,"  Much 
as  Sodom  was  used  to  represent  any  very  wicked  or 
corrupt  city  or  people,  as  in  Ezekiel  xvi.  46-56,  where 
Sodom  means  the  half  heathenish  Israelites,  or  per- 

be  thoroughly  destroyed  and  abolished.  In  a  standard  author  we  have 
the  expression,  "unquenchable  love  of  freedom;"  and  another,  speak- 
ing of  a  celebrated  actress,  says,  "She  was  the  best  tragedian  of  her 
times,  with  an  inextinguishable  Jii'e  in  her  heart,"  and  immediate! y~ 
adds,  alluding  to  her  death,  "  we  must  deplore  the  extinction  of  lier 
fire."  A  newspaper,  speaking  of  a  comic  personage,  remarks 
that  what  hedid'^*  evented  inextinguishable  jnirth.'"  And  this  is  the 
very  expression  in  English,  which  Homer  has  in  Greek,  ccn^Ssarog  yt).wc^ 
(Iliad,  i.  599,)  unquenchable  laughter.  In  these  examples,  as  in  the 
Bible  usage,  there  is  no  reference  to  duration,  but  to  intensity  only  —  • 
the  meaning  is  great,  excessive. 

^  Dr.  Albert  Barnes  says:  '*  The  extreme  loathsomeness  of  the  place, 
the  filth  and  putrefaction,  the  corruption  of  the  atmosphei'e,  and  the 
lurid  fires  blazing  by  day  and  by  night,  made  it  one  of  the  most  appal- 
ling and  terrific  objects  with  which  a  Jew  was  ever  acquainted." 


398  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVEKSALIS3I. 

haps  the  neighboring  heathen  themselves.  And  in 
Rev.  xi.  8,  Jerusalem  is  called  Sodom  and  Egypt,  be- 
cause of  its  utter  vileness  and  wickedness.  Much  as 
we  of  this  day  use  the  name  of  Waterloo  to  repre- 
sent a  great  political  conflict:  "It  was  a  Waterloo 
defeat"  —  i.  e.,  thorough,  complete,  irreparable.  So 
with  the  Jews,  the  overthrow  of  a  people,  the  de- 
struction of  a  city,  was  called  a  Gehenna  judgment — 
i.  e.,  a  thorough  and  utter  destruction. 

This  closes  the  New  Testament  usage  of  the  word  ; 
and  it  is  obvious  to  every  candid  mind  that  the  asser- 
tion is  utterly  destitute  of  proof,  that  Gehenna  was 
used  by  the  Jews  of  our  Saviour's  time  to  designate 
a  place  of  endless  torment  for  the  wicked,  or  that  it 
bears  that  meaning  in  the  New  Testament. 

Our  inquiry  shows  that  it  is  employed  in  the  Old 
Testament  in  its  literal  or  geographical  sense  only,  as 
the  name  of  the  valley  lying  on  the  Soutli  of  Jerusa- 
lem—  that  the  Septuagint  proves  it  retained  this 
meaning  as  late  as  B.  C.  150  —  that  i^  is  not  found  at 
all  in  the  Apocrypha ;  neither  in  Philo,  nor  in  Jo- 
sephus,  whose  writings  cover  t]ie  very  times  of  the 
Saviour  and  the  New  Testament,  thus  leaving  us 
without  a  single  example  of  contemporary  usage  to 
determine  its  meaning  at  this  period  —  that  for  one 
hundred  years  after  Joscphus  there  are  no  Jewish 
writings  extant,  thereby  bhutting  out  all  evidence  as 
to  what  was  its  popular  usage  and  signification  for 
one  hundred  and  severaty  years  after  Christ  —  that 
from  A.  D.  150-195,  we  find  in  two  Greek  authors, 
Justin  and  Clement  of  Alexandria,  the  first  resident 
in  Italy  and  the  last  iii  Egypt,  that  Gehenna  began 
to  be  used  to  designate  a  place  of  punishment  after 


THE  DOCTRINE    OF    HELL — TAKTARUS.         899 

d^ath,  but  not  endless  punishment,  since  Clement  was 
a  believer  in  universal  restoration  —  that  the  first  time 
we  find  Gehenna  used  in  this  sense  in  any  Jewish 
writing  is  near  the  beginning  of  the  third  century,  in 
the  Targum  of  Jonathan  Ben  Uzziel,  two  hundred 
years  too  late  to  be  of  any  service  in  the  argument  — - 
and  lastly,  that  the  New  Testament  usage  shows  that 
while  it  had  not  wholly  lost  its  literal  sense,  it  was 
also  employed  in  the  time  of  Christ  as  a  symbol  of 
moral  corruption  and  wickedness  ;  but  more  especially 
as  a  figure  of  the  terrible  judgments  of  God  on  the 
rebellious  and  sinful  nation  of  the  Jews. 

SECTION       IV. 

TARTAROSAS  —  ITS  MEANING  —  THE  HEATHEN  HELL — "THE  ANGELS 
THAT  WERE  CAST  DOWN  TO  HELL." 

TuqjaqcDuui,  —  TaHavosos^  thc  word  being  a  parti- 
ciple, is  found  only  in  2  Peter  ii.  4:  "For  if  God 
spared  not  the  angels  that  sinned,  but  cast  them  down 
to  hell,  and  delivered  them  into  chains  of  darkness, 
to  be  reserved  unto  judgment,"  &c.  Jude,  who  cites 
the  same  illustrations  in  enforcing  his  exhortations, 
has  it  thus  :  "  And  the  angels  who  kept  not  their  first 
estate,  but  left  their  own  habitation,  he  hath  reserved 
in  everlasting  chains  under  darkness  unto  the  judg- 
ment of  the  great  day."     Verse  6. 

Although  this  chapter  has  legitimately  only  to  do 
with  the  word  '•  hell,"  yet  it  will  be  necessary,  in 
order  to  understand  this  passage,  to  notice  several 
other  points. 

1.  This  is  the  first  and  only  allusion  in  the  Bible 
to   fallen  angels.     There  is  not  a  word  in   the   Old 


•i'OO  TTTEOLOGT    OF   UNIYERSALrSK. 

Testament  on  the  subject,  neither  in  the  historical^ 
prophetic  or  poetic  books*  The  Saviour  in  all  his 
ministry  never  alluded  to  anything  of  the  kind ;  nor 
any  of  his  disciples,  save  Peter  and  Jude.  Now,  if 
the  texts  cited  are  to  be  understood  literally,  as  ani 
actcial  historical  record,  is  it  probable  that  such  ai 
profound  silence  would  have  been  observed  in  regard 
to  so  important  an  events  till  forty  years  n^fter  the- 
death  of  Christ?' 

2.  It  is  plain  that  the  story  of  the  fallen  angels 
w^as  well  known  to  those  whom  Peter  and  Jude  ad- 
dressed. Though  this  is  the  first  time  it  appears  in 
the  sa(^red  wntings,  it  is  introduced  without  explana- 
lion  ;  and  it  is  taken  for  granted  that  the  rcaders  have 
heard  of  it  before.  The  tradition,  therefore,  must 
have  been  common  and  popular^  or  the  apostles  would 
not  have  referred  to  it  in  such  a  familiar  way, 

3,  The  Jews  certainly  had  a  tradition  of  this  sort 
current  among  them.  Before  the  birth  of  Christy 
they  had  come  to  believe  that  "  the  sons  of  God " 
mentioned  in  Gen.  vi.  2,  were  angels,  who,  enamored 
of  the  beautiful  daughters  of  men,  left  their  heavenly 
habitations,  af  their  ow^i  accord,  that  they  might 
dwell  with  them  on  earth.  Joseplms  makes  mention 
of  this  :  '^  For  many  angels  of  God  accompanied 
with  women,  and  begat  sons  that  proved  unjust,  and 
despisers  of  all  that  was  good,"  ^  &c.  Of  course,  as 
there  is  nothing  of  this  sort  in  the  Old  Testament,  it 
was  a  fiction  of  their  own  invention.     The  '^sons  of 

i  All  commentators  agree  that  Eev.  xii.  7-17,  refers  to  the  conflicts 
between  Paganism  and  Christianity.  Besides,  the  dragon  and  his  angf]9 
were  "  cast  out  iiito  the  earth,^^  and  /^^ere  **  persecuted  the  woma« 
which  brought  forth  the  man-child." 

'■"  Jewish  Anti(i,uities,."  Book  i.  chapter  S-. 


THE   DOCTRINE   OF   HELL  —  TARTARUS.       401 

God  "  in  Gen.  vl.  were  not  angels,  but  the  true  wor- 
shippers of  God ;  probably  the  descendants  of  Seth, 
in  distinction  from  those  of  Cain. 

4.  This  tradition  or  fiction  respecting  the  angels, 
was  wrought  out  with  all  the  extravagant  fancies  and 
wild  absurdi-ies  and  inventions  characteristic  of  the 
Jewish  mind ;  and  about  the  time  of  our  Saviour's 
birth,  or  just  before,  it  appeared  in  full  dramatic  cos- 
tume in  the  celebrated  ^^  Booh  of  Enoch^''  written 
by  some  foreign  Jew.  In  this,  we  have  the  whole 
story  in  detail,  resting  on  the  above-named  absurd  in- 
terpretation of  Gen.  vi.  by  the  later  Jewish  teachers. 

The  story  begins  with  chapter  vii.  thus :  "  It  hap- 
pened, after  the  sons  of  men  had  multiplied  in  those 
days,  that  daughters  were  born  unto  them,  elegant 
and  beautiful.  And  when  the  angels,  the  sons  of 
heaven,  beheld  them,  they  became  enamored  of  them, 
saying  to  each  other,  Come,  let  us  select  for  ourselves 
wives  from  the  progeny  of  men,  and  let  us  beget 
children." 

Then  follows  an  account  of  the  increase  of  impiety 
and  wickedness  on  the  earth ;  and  chapter  x.  carries 
the  story  forward  as  follows :  "  Then  the  Most  High, 
the  Great  and  Holy  One  spake,  and  said  to  Raphael, 
"  Bind  Azazyel  hand  and  foot ;  cast  him  into  dark- 
ness ;  and  opening  the  desert  which  is  in  Dudael,  cast 
him  in  there.  Throw  upon  him  swift  and  pointed 
stones,  covering  him  with  darkness.  There  shall  he 
remain  forever ;  cover  his  face,  that  he  may  not  see 
the  light.  And  in  the  great  day  of  judgment  let  him 
be  cast  into  the  fire."  To  Michael,  likewise,  the 
Lord  said,  "  Go  and  announce  his  crime  to  Samyaza, 
and  to  the  others  who  are  with  him.     And   when  all 


■102  THEOLOGY  OF   tTNIVEKSALIS3f, 

their  sons  shall  be  slain,  when  they  shall  see  the 
perdition  of  their  beloved,  bind  them  for  seventy 
generations  underneath  the  earth,  even  to  the  day 
of  judgment." 

Then  the  angels  besonght  Enoch  to  intercede  for 
them,  which  he  did ;  when,  suddenly,  he  fell  asleep, 
and  a  vision  of  punishment  or  judgment  was  shown 
him,   at  the   close  of  which  the  Lord  said  to  him  z 

'''  Go,  say  to  the  watchers  of  heaven  who  deserted 
the  lofty  sky,  and  their  holy  everlasting  station :  Yo\t 
ought  to  pray  for  men,  and  not  men  for  you.  Where- 
fore have  you  forsaken  the  lofty  and  holy  heaven,, 
which  endures  forever,  and  defiled  yourselves  witb 
the  daughters  of  men ;  and  taken  to  yourselves 
wives ;  and  acted  like  the  sons  of  the  earth,  and 
begotten  an  impious  offspring  I " 

It  is  easy,  from  these  extracts,  to  see  what  was  the 
tradition,  current  amono;  the  Jews  reo;ardino;  the" 
fallen  angels  5  and  it  is  plain  enough  that  Peter  and 
Jude  quote  this  tradition  from  the  Book  of  Enoch,, 
where  it  had  been  put  into  dramatic  form.  Note  the* 
following  correspondences : 

1.  Jude  says  the  angels  '^  kept  not  their  first  es- 
tate," and  Peter  says  they  "sinned,"  The  author  of 
the  "  Book  of  Enoch  "  says  they  kept  not  their  "  holy 
and  everlasting  station, "  dnd  ^^  sinned "  and  did 
wickedly. 

2.  Jude  says  they  "left  their  own  habitation,"  not 
that  they  were  driven  out,  or  east  out,  as  Milton  has 
it.  It  was  voluntary.  This  agrees  perfectly  witb 
Enoch,  who  says,  "  they  deserted  the  lofty  sky,"  and 
that  they  had  '\forsalcen  the  holy  heaven"—-!,  e.,  of 
their  own  accord* 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  HELL  —  TAKTAKUS.   403 

8.  Peter  and  Jude  say  they  were  bound  in  "  chalna 
o£  darkness,  reserved  unto  the  judgment  of  the  great 
day."  This  is  almost  the  exact  language  of  the  book 
of  Enoch,  which  says,  "  Bind  Azazyel  hand  and  foot^ 
and  cast  him  into  darkness,"  and  there  leave  him, 
*'  CA-en  to  the  great  day  of  judgment,"  And  where 
Jude  has  '^  everlasting "  the  apocryphal  book  has 
"  forever." 

4.  Peter  says  they  were  "cast  down  to  hell," 
{tartarus^')  the  prison  of  the  pagan  hades  or  under- 
toorld.  The  author  of  Enoch  has  it  "  underneath  the 
earth,"  which  is  precisely  the  same  thing,  hades^ 
which  includes  tartarus. 

These  resemblances  are  too  many  and  exact  to  be 
the  result  of  accident ;  and  consequently  it  is  agreed 
by  some  of  the  best  critics  that  the  apostolical  passages 
are  quoted  from  the  Book  of  Enoch  in  the  way  of 
illustration.^  Of  course  this  is  done  without  endorse 
ing  the  authority  of  the  book,  or  the  truth  of  the 
tradition.  Peter  does  not  adopt  the  absurdities,  nor 
accept  the  doctrine  of  the  heathen  tartarus  or  "hell," 
any  more  than  Christ  did  in  the  Rich  man  and  Laza- 
rus. He  simply  enforces  his  exhortation  by  reference 
to  a  popular  tradition ;  just  as  we  do  at  the  present 
time  in  multitudes  of  cases. 


*JuDE  makes  another  quotation  from  this  book  in  verses  14,  15. 
*'  And  Enoch  also  the  seventh  from  Adam,  prophesied  of  these,  say- 
ing, "  Behold  the  Lord  cometh  with  ten  thousand  of  his  saints,  to  exe- 
cute judgment  upon  all,"  &c.  The  passage  in  tlie  Book  of  Enoch  reada 
thus:  "  Behold,  he  comes  with  ten  thousands  of  his  saints,  to  execute 
judgment  upon  them,  and  to  destroy  the  wicked,"  &c.  The  fact  of 
quotation  was  allowed  by  many  of  the  ancient  fothers,  Clement,  Ori- 
GEN,  Hilary,  &c.,  who  were  inclined  to  think  the  book  canonical  fos 
this  reason,    Professor  Stuart,  Bib.  Repos,  for  January,  1840. 


404  THEOLOGY    OF   UNI  VERS  ALISM. 

And  Juclc  has  done  the  same  tiling  in  verse  9,  by 
quoting  from  another  apocryphal  Jewish  work,  called 
the  "  Assumption  of  Moses."  This  book  contains  a 
ridiculous  story  about  the  burial  of  Moses,  the  sub- 
stance of  which,  in  few  words,  is  this :  The  arch- 
angel Michael  was  busily  engaged  in  burying  the 
body  of  the  great  Lawgiver,  bestowing  suitable 
funeral  honors ;  when  suddenly  the  devil  appeared, 
and  endeavored  to  prevent  his  burial,  on  the  ground 
that  he  was  a  murderer,  having  killed  the  Egyptian, 
and  was  not  therefore  entitled  to  honorable  burial. 
The  result  is  a  violent  dispute  between  Michael  and 
Satan,  which,  on  the  part  of  Michael,  is  conducted 
in  a  very  gentlemanly  and  respectful  manner,  proba- 
bly in  consideration  of  Satan's  former  rank  and  dig- 
nity. To  this  absurd  fable  of  the  Jews,  Jude  alludes 
as  follows  :  "  Yet  Michael  the  arch-a,ngel,  when  con- 
tending w^ith  the  devil,  he  disputed  about  the  body  of 
Moses,  durst  not  bring  against  him  a  railing  accusa- 
tion, but  said,  the  Lord  rebuke  thee."  And  the 
object  of  this  quotation  is  obvious  from  the  context, 
wdiere  he  argues  from  it  that  those  who  "  deny  the 
only  Lord  God,  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  ought 
not  thus  to  "  speak  evil  of  dignities."  For  if,  as 
your  traditions  say,  Michael  would  not  bring  "  a  rail- 
ino"  accusation "  even  against  the  devil,  how  much 
less  should  scoffers  speak  evil  of  heavenly  dignities. 

It  would  be  an  outrage  on  the  inspiration  and 
the  common  sense  of  Jude  to  suppose,  because  he 
quotes  this  story,  that  therefore  he  adopted  it  as  the 
truth  of  God,  believed  it  himself,  or  sanctioned  its 
belief  by  others.  And  it  would  equally  outrage  the 
inspiration  of  both  Jude  and  Peter  to  suppose,  be- 


THE    DOCTKINE    OF   HELL  —  TARTAEUS.        405 

cause  tliey  quote  the  popular  fable  about  the  fallen 
angels  from  the  Book  of  Enoch,  that  therefore  they 
accepted  the  story  as  true ;  and  believed  in  their  de- 
serting heaven,  their  marriage  with  the  daughters  of 
men,,  their  wickedness,  and  their  being  cast  down  to 
Tartarus  or  the  heathen  hell ! 

The  plain  fact  is  that  these  citations  are  introduced 
for  the  purposes  of  illustration  — just  as  we  refer  to 
the  fictitious  characters,  the  ghosts  and  witches  of 
Shakespeare,  and  to  the  popular  traditions  and  super- 
i?titions  of  the  past,  to  illustrate  an  argument  or  nar- 
rative, without  at  all  endorsing  the  truth  of  the  stones, 
or  the  acAial  existence  of  the  persons.""  The  Old 
Testament  contains  similar  references  and  quotations 
from  uninspired  books,  as  in  Joshua  x.  13,  from  the 
"  Book  of  Jasher  ;  "  and  in  Numbers  xxi.  14,  from  the 
"Book  of  the  Wars  of  the  Lord."  And  Paul  in  2 
Tim.  iii.  8,  quotes  the  account  of  Jannes  and  Jambres 
withstanding  Moses,  from  tradition ;  or  as  Origen 
says,  from  a  Jewish  book.  No  such  persons  are 
named  in  the  Old  Testament  records.  He  repeats  the 
popular  story  simply  to  compare  with  them  those  of 
his  day  who  "resisted  the  truth,  men- of  corrupt 
minds,  reprobate  concerning  the  faith." 

iLattbence's  translation  of  the  Book  of  Enoch,  chapt.  vii.,  et  seq.  of 
sec.  ii.  Maksh's  Michaelis,  vol.  iv.  378-393.  Dr.  Sawyer's  article  on 
Fallen  Angels,  in  the  Universalist  Quarterly  for  July,  1844,  is  an  excel- 
lent and  conclusive  treatment  of  the  subject.  Larditeii  inclined  to  the 
opinion  that  Peter  and  Jude  refer  to  persons  and  events  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament; and  that  the  "angels,"  or  messengers,  were  -wicked  men. 
Works,  vol.  vi,  309-314.  Mr.  Balfour  adopts  this  view  of  the  text  in 
his  "  First  Inquiry."  Adam  Clarke's  preface  to  Jude  is  special  plead- 
ing; for  it  is  not  pretended  that  the  "Assumption  of  Moses;"  and 
"  The  Death  of  Moses,"  or  the  Phftiralh  Moshehy  are  the  same  work. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

oil  COIN  AND  USAGE  OF  METAPHORS  AND  FIGURES  OF  SPEECH,  WITH 
SPECIAL  REFERENCE  TO  THE  BIBLE. 


SECTION       I. 

ORIGIN    AND    USE   OF    METAPHORS. 

I  have  thought  that  a  chapter  concerning  the  origin 
and  usage  of  figures  and  metaphors  in  the  sacred 
writings,  with  brief  observations  on  figurative  lan- 
guage in  general,  wouki  serve  to  illustrate  some  por- 
tions of  Scripture  not  coming  legitimately  within  the 
scope  of  this  volume,  yet  having  more  or  less 
relation  to  the  several  subjects  discussed  in  it.  At 
the  same  time,  a  knowledge  of  the  facts  will  add 
greatly  to  the  pleasure  and  profit  of  reading  the 
Bible,  and  show  that  the  difiiculties  in  the  way  of 
understanding  its  meaning,  lie  rather  in  our  ignorance 
than  in  the  strangeness  and  obscurity  of  the  Book 
itself. 

Every  language  has  its  periods  of  infancy,  growth, 
maturity  and  decline ;  and  at  the  two  extremes  of 
infancy  and  maturity,  it  abounds  in  figures  and 
metaphors ;  in  the  first  case  from  necessity,  in  the 
second  from  choice.  In  a  state  of  barbarism,  or  of 
savage  life,  man's  wants  arc  fcM',  the  range  of  his 
thoughts  and  desires  is  narrow,  and  his  life  is  mostly 


ORIGIN    AND    USE    OF    METAPHORS.  407 

of  the  senses,  the  life  of  the  animal.  Of  course  his 
speech  takes  its  character  from  his  experience. 
Without  any  knowledge  of  the  arts  or  sciences,  with 
no  literature  or  intellectual  culture,  his  lano-uac^e  is 
necessarily  destitute  of  any  terms  or  words  ex- 
pressive of  these  things ;  his  vocabulary  is  very 
limited  and  poor,  confined  mostly  to  objects  of  sense, 
consisting  chiefly  of  nouns  and  verbs,  the  names  of 
things,  of  bodily  conditions  and  wants.  There  are 
few  words  expressive  of  abstractions,  of  qualities  in 
their  independent  and  absolute  character ;  or  in  other 
words,  there  are  few  adjectives  or  descrij^tive  terms. 

The  language  of  a  people,  in  fact,  passes  through 
the  same  process  of  growth  and  development  which 
we  see  in  the  language  of  a  child.  In  beginnino-  to 
talk  the  child  has  but  few  words,  and  those  expressive 
of  objects  of  sense,  and  of  physical  condition,  the 
names  of  things  and  wants ;  with  here  and  there  an 
adjective,  or  a  qualifying,  descriptive  word,  such  as 
good.)  had^  pretty.,  ugly.  It  may  early  learn  the 
word  bread,  but  it  will  be  long  before  it  will  be  able 
to  go  beyond  this  in  describing  its  qualities.  It  will 
soon  catch  the  names  dog  and  cat,  but  it  will  be  years 
before  it  can  describe  the  first  as  faithful,  devoted, 
affectionate,  watchful,  intelligent ;  or  the  last  as  home- 
loving,  playful,  wily,  treacherous,  &c. 

So  with  a  people  in  their  rude  and  barbarous  con- 
dition, or  before  they  have  attained  to  the  civilization 
of  science,  philosophy  and  letters.  Their  language 
being  poor,  and  restricted  to  comparatively  very  few 
descriptive  terms,  they  are  constantly  compelled 
to  resort  to  comparisons,  to  figures  or  metaphors. 
Hence  they  say  of  a  brave  man,  "  he  is  a  lion  "  ;  by 


408  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

\Ylncli  they  express  simply  resemblance  in  clianicter. 
Having  no  such  abstract  terms  as  hrave,  coiu^ageous^ 
hroic,  valiant,  fearless,  intrepid,  they  a^e  obliged 
to  resort  to  comparisons,  to  express  their  thought  of 
him  by  giving  him  the  name  of  an  animal  known  to 
possess  these  qualities.  So  vrhen  they  would  de- 
scribe a  cunning,  artful,  intriguing,  wily  man,  hav- 
ing no  adjectives  of  this  sort,  they  call  him  "  a  fox  "  ; 
usinjx  the  literal  term  in  a  fiourative  sense  to  set  forth 
his  character.  And  these  comparisons  are  multiplied 
just  in  proportion  to  the  poverty  of  their  vocabulary  — 
a  treacherous  person  is  "  a  snake  in  the  grass  " ;  a 
swift-footed  runner  is  "  a  deer  "  or  "  a  bird  "  ;  a  fierce 
warrior  is  "  a  panther  "  or  "  a  wild-boar  ";  thunder  is 
"  the  sky's  gun  ";  ice  is  '*  water  fast  asleep  ";  heaven 
is  "  the  happy  hunting  grounds,"  <S:c. 

Such  is  the  origin  of  figurative  speech,  of  meta- 
phor, which  is  simply  the  changing  of  a  word  from 
its  literal  sense  to  a  meaning  which  resembles  the 
literal  sense.  It  is  in  fact  a  comparison  or  affirma- 
tion which  has  the  force  of  an  adjective  ;  and  which  is 
necessitated  by  the  meagre  and  deficient  vocabulary 
of  the  dialect. 

On  the  other  liand,  when  a  language  has  been  cul- 
tivated and  enriched  by  the  growth  of  civilization, 
and  new  words  and  terms  have  been  invented  or  bor- 
rowed by  the  poet,  the  orator,  the  jdiilosopher,  the 
man  of  letters ;  then  figures  and  metaphors  are  m^ulti- 
plied  again.  They  are  employed,  not  from  necessity, 
as  in  the  former  case,  but  from  choice,  to  add  to  the 
variety,  beauty,  finish  and  force  of  the  composition 
or  speaking.  And  thus,  as  observed,  in  both  ex- 
tremes of  poverty  and   wealth,  of  ignorance  and  cul- 


ORIGIN    AND    USE    OF   METAPHORS.  409 

ture,  a  language  abounds  in  figures  and  metaphors, 
in  similitudes  and  poetic  expressions.  The  North 
American  Indians  are  an  example  of  the  first  ex- 
treme ;  and  the  poets  and  orators  of  Europe  and 
America  are  an  examj^le  of  the  last. 


SECTION      II. 
SCRIPTURAL   METAPnORS   RELATING  TO   DEITY. 

In  view  of  the  facts  now  set  forth,  it  is  easy  to  see 
how  the  Hebrew,  in  the  early  stages  of  its  growth, 
would  partake  largely  of  metaphors  and  similes. 
Poor  in  derivative  and  descriptive  forms,  or  in  adjec- 
tives and  abstract  terms,  the  people  would  be  driven 
to  figures  and  comparisons  when  speaking  of  the  at- 
tributes and  actions  of  Deity,  or  what  they  deemed 
such.  Hence  "  the  Lord  is  a  man  of  war,"  he  is 
"the  Lord  of  hosts,"  he  is  "  a  Rock,"  "  a  Covert," 
"  a  Buckler  and  a  Shield  "  ;  all  which  are  metaphors 
to  express  the  manner  in  which  he  defends  his  peo- 
ple, and  shows  himself  "  a  very  present  help  in  time 
of  trouble." 

And  when  they  would  describe  his  power,  his  om- 
nipresence, his  justice,  they  speak  of  his  "  right  arm," 
his  "  eye,"  "  from  the  place  of  his  habitation  he  look- 
eth  upon  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth";  "the 
Lord  weigheth  the  spirits."  So  he  "  rides  upon 
horses  and  chariots,"  "walks  upon  the  wings  of  the 
wind,"  "dwells  among  the  children  of  Israel,"  "talks  " 
with  the  patriarchs,  "  comes  down  on  Mount  Sinai "  ; 
he  "laughs,"  he  awakes";  he  "rests,"  &c.  It 
would  be  absurd,  and  shocking  to  our  reverence,  to 


410  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIYERSALISM. 

understand  these  expressions  literally ;  but  it  would 
be  equally  so  to  interpret  literally  those  passages 
which  ascribe  to  God  human  passions,  infirmities  and 
weaknesses.  As  we  have  seen,  they  are  the  necessi- 
ties of  all  languages  and  peoples  in  the  earher  stages 
of  their  culture.  And  so  difficult  is  it,  always,  to 
master  the  idea  of  purely  spiritual  existence  and  ac- 
tion, that  we  of  to-day  are  compelled  to  resort  to 
similar  forms  of  speech  in  expressing  our  thought  of 
Deity,  his  character  and  action. 

Under  this  head  come  all  those  passages  which 
ascribe  to  God — jealousy^  "I  am  a  jealous  God"  ;  or 
anger ^  "  God  is  angry  wiih  the  wicked  every  day  ;"  "  a 
fire  is  kindled  in  mine  anger  "  ;  or  wrath,  "  The  Lord 
shall  swallow  them  up  in  his  wrath  "s  or  hatred, 
''  The  wicked,  and  him  that  loveth  violence,  his  soul 
hateth";  gy  fury,  "The  Lord  will  come ^  with  fire, 
and  with  his  chariots,  like  a  vrhirlwind,  to  render  his 
anger  w^ith  fury  "  ;  or  vengeance,  "  This  is  the  day  of 
the  Lord  of  Hosts,  a  day  of  vengeance,  that  he  may 
avenge  him  of  liis  adversaries." 

Of  the  same  character  are  such  as  the  following : 
"  Upon  the  wicked  he  shall  rain  snares,  fire  and  brim- 
stone, and  an  horrible  tempest."  Ps.  xi.  "  The  Lord 
Jesus  shall  be  revealed  in  flaming  fire,  taking  ven- 
geance on  them  that  know  not  God,  and  obey  not  the 
gospel."  2  Thess.  i.  "  Because  of  these  things,  the 
wrath  of  God  cometli  on  the  children  of  disobe- 
dience." Eph.  V.  "  Pour  cut  the  vials  of  the  wrath 
of  God  on  the  earth."  Eev.  xvi. 

It  is  impossible  to  believe  that  God  is  affected  with 
jealousy  and  anger  and  revenge,  and  is  roused  into 
fierce  wrath  and  fury,  in  any  literal  sense   of  these 


SCRIPTURAL   METAPHORS.  411 

words.  The  expressions  are  metaphors,  and  imply 
nothing  more  than  that  the  divine  judgments  on  sin 
and  wickedness  seem  to  indicate  feelinfrs  analocrous  to 
these  passions  and  emotions  in  man.  In  other  words, 
they  are  figures  representing  the  severity  of  God's 
punishment  of  wickedness  ;'and  they  are  no  more  to 
be  understood  literally  than  the  phrases  "  wrath  of 
old  ocean,"  "  the  anger  of  Boreas,"  "  the  fury  of  the 
storm,"  &c. 

Jeremiah  (xx.)  represents  God  as  saying  to  the 
people  of  Judah,  "  1  will  fight  against  you  myself 
w^ith  an  outstretched  hand  and  with  a  strong  arm, 
even  in  anger,  and  in  fury,  and  in  great  wrath.  And 
I  will  smite  the  inhabitants  of  this  city,  both  man 
and  beast.  For  I  have  set  my  face  against  this  city 
for  evil,  and  not  for  good,  saith  the  Lord  :  it  shall  be 
given  into  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  he 
shall  burn  it  with  fire." 

God  of  course  cannot  fight  against  a  people ;  he 
cannot  be  moved  by  fury  or  -anger,  in  any  sense  iii 
which  these  terms  are  applicable  to  human  beings. 
But  as  men  are  angry  and  wrathful  when  they  seek 
to  destroy  each  other,  or  when  they  inflict  mutual 
evil  or  calamity ;  the  calamities  and  judgments  fall- 
ing on  a  people  for  their  sins,  are  ascribed  to  the 
anger  or  wrath  of  God.  And  God  is  represented  as 
fighting  personally  against  them,  and  destroying 
them ;  though  at  the  same  time,  and  in  the  same 
breath  almost,  it  is  s  lid  that  the  destruction  of  the 
city  is  to  be  the  work  of  Nebuchadnezzar. 

The  same  remarks  apply  to  those  texts  which  speak 
of  God  as  repenting  that  he  had  created  man,  re- 
penting that  had  he  made  Saul  king,  repenting  of  his 


412  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

judgments  on  liis  people.  Gen.  yi.,  1  Sam.  xv.,  Ps. 
cvl.  As  men  alter  tlieir  course,  or  cease  from  what 
tliev  are  doing,  or  undo  what  they  have  done,  be- 
cause they  haye  changed  their  minds  or  plans,  or 
made  mistakes,  or  repent  of  their  course  ;  so  when 
there  seems  to  be  a  change  in  the  course  of  Provi- 
dence, or  God  reverses  the  order  of  his  action,  it  is 
ascribed  to  a  like  change  of  feeling  or  purpose  on  his 
part,  and  he  is  represented  as  repenting  of  his  former 
course.  This  was  the  shortest  and  most  direct  way, 
and  perhaps  the  only  way  at  that  period  of  linguistic 
culture,  of  describing  the  phenomena  as  they  ap- 
peared to  human  observation.  They  were  obliged  to 
use  these  words  and  expressions  with  a  secondary  or 
metaphorical  meaning. 

Sometimes  these  passages  which  attribute  to  God 
the  dispositions  and  passions,  and  even  infirmities,  of 
man,  take  on  a  highly  dramatic  form.  There  is  a 
striking  and,  rightly  understood,  really  beautiful  ex- 
ample of  this  in  Gen.  xviii.,  where  the  Lord  is  repre- 
sented as  not  knowing  the  exact  condition  of  aflfairs 
in  the  guilty  cities  of  the  plain,  and  so  resolving  to 
"  rro  down  "  and  see  for  himself,  before  he  sent  his 
destroying  judgments  on  them.  "  And  the  Lord 
said.  Because  the  cry  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  is 
great,  and  because  their  sin  is  very  grievous,  I  will 
go  down  now^  and  see  whether  they  have  done  alto- 
gether according  to  the  cry  of  it,  which  is  come  unto 
me  ;  and  if  not,  I  will  knoA^'^  it."  Because  a  faithful 
and  impartial  judge  always  carefully  looks  into  and 
examines  the  case  of  the  accused  before  passing  sen- 
tence, so  God  is  represented,  in  this  bold  dramatic 
style,  as  doing  the  same  thing  in  the  case  of  Sodom  ; 


SCRIPTURAL    METAPHORS.  41-8 

by  wlilcli  simply  is  expressed  the  perfect  equity  and 
justice  of  all  God's  dealings  with  the  wicked  and 
criminal. 

After  reading  such  passages  as  the  preceding,  we 
are  ready,  without  much  reflection,  to  say  that  the 
Bible  is,  above  all  other  books,  metaphorical,  abound- 
ing in  unintelligible  tropes  and  figures  of  speech  ;  and 
some  are  even  inclined  to  ask.  If  it  w^as  written  for 
our  instruction,  why  it  was  not  written  as  plainly  as 
we  talk,  in  homely  every-^day  phrase  ?  We  say  direct- 
ly what  we  mean-*- why  do  not  the  Scriptures,  if 
they  are  intended  as  a  revelation  ?  What  is  the  use 
of  figures,  when  the  fact  in  plain  words  would  hate 
been   so  much  better? 

So  think  a  multitude  of  Bible  readers,  and  yet  a 
little  reflection  would  shoAv  them  that  the  people  of 
the  Bible  days,  if  they  should  come  among  us  now, 
would  bring  the  same  charge  against  our  daily  speech. 
Really,  at  bottom,  we  are  no  more  matter  of  fact  in 
our  address  than  they,  with  an  allowance  for  the  dif- 
ference of  national  character,  civilization,  lano:uao:e 
and  culture. 

How  common  are  such  expressions  as  these  :  ''  The 
thought  struck  me  "  ;  "I  have  a  certain  person  in  my 
eye  "  ;  "  He  cast  rapid  glances  over  the  cro\f  d  "  ; 
*'  Their  hearts  leaped  up  "  ;  "  The  mouth  of  a  river  "  ; 
*'  The  head  of  a  bay  "  ;  "  The  foot  of  a  mountain  "  ; 
''  The  wings  of  time  "  ;  "  A  sea  of  faces  "  ;  "  An  ocean 
of  flame,"  &c.  Now,  there  is  not  a  metaphor  in  the 
whole  breadth  of  the  Scriptures,  Old  and  New,  more 
unnatural,  or,  literally  considered,  more  absurd  and 
senseless  than  these.  And  a  people  unaccustomed  to 
this  kind  of  figures  could  make  nothing  out  of  them ; 


414  THEOLOGY    OF    UNIVEIISALISM. 

and  they  miglit  ask  of  us,  "  Why  do  you  not  say 
tvhat  you  mean  ?  Why  not  say  directly  you  think 
this  or  that,  instead  of  representing  thought  as  a  man 
standing  up  and  striking  you  ?  Why  do  you  say 
you  have  a  person  in  your  eye,  when  you  only  re- 
member or  see  him  ?  And  equally  extravagant  is  it 
to  talk  of  a  sea  made  of  faces,  or  an  ocean  of  flame." 
(Eev.  XV. ;  '^  Sea  of  glass  mingled  with  fire.'') 

But  however  absurd  these  metaphors  to  a  Jew, 
they  are  simple  and  intelligible  enough  to  us,  because 
we  are  accustomed  to  them.  And  so  with  those  of 
the  Bible  ;  when  once  they  become  familiar  and  com- 
mon, they  will  lose  their  seeming  awkwardness  and 
extravagance*  The  Eastern  nations  think  them  as 
plain,  and  simple  in  form,  as  we  think  ours  are.  It  is 
familiarity  with  these  peculiar  forms  of  speech,  and 
with  the  style  of  thinking  and  speaking,  that  adapts 
them  to  the  ear,  and  transforms  the  figure  into  the 
fact  —  so  that  the  thing  represented  suggests  itself 
simultaneously  with  the  metaphor. 

Our  hymns  are  striking  examples  of  .this,  and  show 
how  easily  we  fall  into  the  use  of  figures  representing 
God  as  a  man,  or  as  having  a  human  form,  and  acting 
accordingly.  And  Bible  phraseology  which  we  ac- 
tually condemn  in  reading,  as  derogating  from  the 
spirituality  and  majesty  of  God,  we  take  into  our 
hymns,  and  sing  without  a  word  of  objection.  For 
example : 

"  Uo  darts  along  the  burning  sky; 
Loud  thunders  round  him  roar; 
Through  worlds  above  his  terrors  fly, 
"VYhile  "worlds  below  adore." 

•*  He  binds  the  whirlwind  to  his  car, 
And  sweeps  the  howling  skies." 


SCRIPTURAL    METAPHORS.  415 

"  lie  fro-R-ns,  and  darkness  veils  the  moon, 
The  fainting  sun  grows  dim  at  noon-*-* 
The  pillars  of  heaven's  starry  roof 
Tremble  and  start  at  his  reproof.'* 

"  On  cherubim  and  seraphim 
Full  royally  he  rode. 
And  on  the  wings  of  mighty  winds 
Came  flying  all  abroad." 

These  are  as  bold  figures,  and  in  their  literal  in- 
terpretation as  contrary  to  fact,  as  any  in  the  Scrip- 
tures ;  and  yet,  taking  them  out  from  the  Scriptures, 
we  sing  them  without  any  question  of  their  pro- 
priety. They  have  become,  as  it  were,  domes^ 
ticated  with  us,  and  we  lose  sight  of  the  metaphor  in 
the  idea  it  represents,  in  the  thought  of  which  it  is 
only  the  vehicle,  or  symbol. 

SECTION     IIIc 

METAPHORS   DERIVED    FROM    LOCAL   CUSTOMS   AND   OPINIONS. 

in  order  to  understand  the  meanino:  of  certain 
classes  of  figures,  we  must  have  a  knowledge  of  the 
civilization,  social  state,  occupations,  arts  and  sciences 
out  of  which  they  come ;  or  at  least  a  knowledge  of 
the  special  application  and  usage  of  them.  For  ex- 
ample :  Since  the  days  of  the  prophets,  of  Paul  and 
Luke,  the  world  has  greatly  advanced  in  every  de- 
partment of  knowledge  and  material  improvements , 
and  certain  words  and  phrases  and  metaphors  have 
arisen  out  of  these,  wholly  unknown  to  the  ancient?* 
We  have  a  variety  of  tropes  and  figures  of  speech 
drawn  from  steamboats,  railroads,  telegraphs,  the 
printing  press,  gunpowder,  chemistry,  astronomy,  the 


416  TIIEOLOaY   OF    UNI  VERS  ALISM. 

microscope,  &c.,  which  would  be  wholly  unlntelligi'* 

ble  to   the   Jew   of  the  Old  Testament;  because  he 

could  have  no  knowledG:e  of  the  c^reat  facts  and  enti- 
ce o 

ties  in  which  they  have  their  origin.  In  order  to  un- 
derstand our  speech  in  this  respect,  he  must  first  be- 
come acquainted  with  railroads,  printing,  modern 
chemistry,  &c.,  and  know  how  these  terms  or  meta- 
phors are  employed  and  applied. 

So  with  Us,  in  regard  to  ancient  customs,  arts  and 
occupations :  we  must  acquire  some  information  on 
these  points,  if  w^e  expect  to  understand  the  allusions 
to  them  in  the  Scriptures.  As  an  example ;  without 
this  particular  knowledge  such  passages  as  these  are 
Unintelligible :  "  The  elders  have  ceased  from  the 
gate  "  ;  '*  his  children  are  crushed  in  the  gate  ;  "  "  he 
opcneth  not  his  mouth  in  the  gate ; "  "  they  turn 
aside  the  poor  in  the  gate  ; "  "  they  hate  him  that 
rebuketh  in  the  go^te  ;  "  '*  hate  evil  and  establish  judg- 
ment in  the  gate  ;  "  "  her  husband  is  known  in  the 
gates  ;  '^  "  and  all  the  people  that  were  in  the  gate,  ^nd 
the  elders,  said,  we  are  witnesses." 

But  these  passages  are  plain  enough  when  we 
come  to  know  that  in  primitive  times  the  elders,  or 
aged  men,  distinguished  for  their  w^isdom  and  integ» 
rity,  used  to  assemble  at  the  gates  of  the  town,  where 
tliey  sat  together  on  benches,  to  hear  and  adjust  any 
complaints  or  disputes  among  the  people,  and  to  ad- 
minister justice  in  all  cases  of  controversy.  Tlie  ob- 
ject in  assembling  at  the  gates  w^as  to  be  within  reacli 
of  all,  it  being  the  most  public  place  in  the  city  ;  and 
all  passing  in  or  out,  could  bring  their  cause  before 
them  at  once,  and  Iiave  it  heard  and  settled  on  the 
spot,  without  the  tedious  and  expensive  legal  delays 
of  our  time. 


SOEIPTURAL  METAPHORS.  41T 

This  being  the  case,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  the  word 
"  gate  "  came  to  be  a  metaphor  for  justice,  or  the 
synonym  of  the  place  of  judgment.  Then  we  readily 
understand  what  is  meant  by  crushing  the  poor  in  the 
gate — i.  e.,  depriving  them  of  their  rights,  by  per- 
verting justice  ;  and  by  the  saying,  "The  elders liave 
ceased  from  the  gate  ;  "  or,  in  other  words,  justice  or 
judgment  has  ceased  from  the  land ;  fraud  and  rob- 
bery abound  everywhere.  So  the  husband  of  the  vir- 
tuous woman  is  known  in  the  gate  —  i.  e.,  is  in  repute 
for  his  justice  and  honorable  character,  and  is  set  in 
the  place  of  judgment  to  see  to  its  faithful  adminis- 
tration. 

A  great  many  very  beautiful  metaphors,  and  rich 
in  doctrinal  and  spiritual  instruction,  are  derived 
from  the  various  occupations  and  employments  of  the 
people.  This  is  particularly  the  case  with  regard  to 
the  Shepherd  and  Ms  Sheep.  The  rulers  and  teach- 
ers of  the  people  are  described  under  the  figure  of 
shepherds,  while  the  people  are  represented  as  the 
flocks.  And  the  magistrates  and  priests  are  thus  re- 
buked by  Ezekiel  for  their  neglect  of  the  sheep,  for 
their  avarice  in  enrichinoj  themselves  and  livins;  luxu- 
riously  at  the  expense  of  the  people  :  "  Wo  be  to  the 
shepherds  of  Israel  that  do  feed  themselves  !  Should 
not  the  shepherds  feed  the  flocks?  Ye  eat  the  fat, 
and  ye  clothe  you  with  the  wool ;  ye  kill  them  that 
are  fed  ;  but  ye  feed  not  the  flock ;  neither  have  yo 
sought  that  which  was  lost,  but  with  force  and  cruelty 
have  ye  ruled  them ;  and  they  were  scattered,  be- 
cause there  was  no  shepherd."  "  Behold,  I  am 
against  the  shepherds,  and  I  will  cause  them  to  cease 
from  feeding  the  flock ;  neither  shall  they  feed  them- 


418  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVE11SA*L1SM. 

selves  any  more.  I  will  seek  out  my  sheep,  and  I 
■will  deliver  them  out  of  all  places  where  they  have 
been  scattered  in  the  cloudy  and  dark  day.  I  will 
feed  them  in  a  good  pasture,  and  upon  the  high 
mountains  of  Israel  shall  their  fold  be."  Ezekiel. 
xxxiv. 

And  with  what  exceeding  beauty  David  pictures 
>he  tenderness  of  the  Divine  care  in  a  metaphor 
^lrawn  from  this  occupation,  with  which  he  was  so 
well  acquainted  in  his  youth,  when  he  watched  his 
father's  sheep :  "  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd,  I  shall 
not  want.  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pas- 
tures ;  he  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters."  Psalm 
xxiii.  And  Isaiah  says,  in  the  same  strain,  "  He 
shall  feed  his  flock  like  a  shepherd ;  he  shall  gather 
the  lambs  with  his  arm,  and  carry  them  in  his  bosom, 
and  shall  gently  lead  those  that  are  with  young." 
xl.  11. 

And  in  John  x.  the  Saviour  carries  the  metaphor 
through  all  the  changes  of  this  pleasing  occupation ; 
and  declares  himself  to  be  "  the  good  shepherd  who 
giveth  his  life  for  the  sheep,"  who  "  calleth  his  own 
sheep  by  name,  and  leadeth  them  out ;  and  goeth 
before  them,  and  the  sheep  follow  him,  for  they  know 
his  voice."  '     And  then,  at  the  close  of  the  extended 

1  "  In  Lithuania  and  Muscovy,  as  soon  as  the  sun  has  risen,  the 
herdsman  daily  Avinds  his  horn;  and  on  the  well  known  signal,  the 
stalls  are  opened,  and  the  horses  and  mules,  goats,  sheep,  &c.,  obey 
the  summons.  As  soon  as  they  are  assembled  in  a  body,  he  marches  at 
the  head  of  the m ,  y^hWst  they  obsequiously  folloiv  their  leader  into 
Buch  meadows  as  he  sees  most  convenient  for  them.  By  a  second 
signal,  they  are  led  to  water;  and  by  a  third,  they  are  conducted  home 
again."  "When  Dr.  Henderson  was  in  Iceland,  struck  by  the  intelligent 
readiness  of  the  flocks,  and  the  singular  understanding  existing  be- 
tween th«  sheep  and  their  keepers,  he  inquired  of  two  shepherd  girls, 


SCRIPTURAL  METAPHORS.  419 

metaphor,  with  what  force  and  directness  he  an- 
nounces the  comforting  and  joyful  truth  of  the  final 
ingathering  of  all  the  wandering  sheep  :  "  And  other 
sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold  ;  them  also  I 
must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice  ;  and  there 
shall  he  onefold^  and  one  shejjherd^  And  thus  does 
he  confirm  the  teaching  of  the  parable  of  the  Lost 
Sheep,  for  whom  the  shepherd  '^  goeth  into  the  moun- 
tains," and  seeheth  until  "  he  hath  found  it^  and  then 
laying  it  on  his  shoulders,  returneth  home  rejoicing. 
Matt,  xviii.,  Luke  xv. 

Thus,  through  these  beautiful  figures,  do  the  Scrip- 
tures teach  the  ever-blessed  truth  of  the  Lord's  ten- 
der mercy,  and  solicitous  watch  for  the  welfare  and 
safety  of  his  flock ;  and  the  certainty  that  at  last 
every  lost  sheep  shall  be  found,  brought  back  from 
the  wilderness,  restored  to  the  one  fold,  and  evermore 
be  permitted  to  lie  down  in  the  green  pastures,  and 
rest  by  the  still  waters  of  the  heavenly  Palestine  ! 

Many  examples  of  scriptural  tropes  and  figures  of 
speech,  or  at  least  the  peculiar  point  and  propriety  of 
them,  are  dependent  on  some  local  peculiarity  or 
usage,  without  a  knowledge  of  which  one  not  only 
cannot  see  any  fitness  in  them,  but  an  apparent  ab- 
surdity. 

To  say  an  obstinate  man  is  a  perfect  mule,  is  a 
metaphor  much  more  significant  to  a  South  American 
or  a  Swiss  than  to  the  people  of  Holland  or  Africa. 
And  to  compare  anything  to  the  Alps  or  the  Andes, 
would  have  a  force  to  them  which  it  could  not  have 
to  one  who  had  never  seen  these  mountains. 

how  they  distinguished  and  controlled  so  easily  every  individual  sheep 
*'  0,"  said  they,  "  wc  know  thein  all  by  name.'" 


420  TnEOLOGY    OF    UNIVERSALISM. 

So  when  the  prophet  compares  the  noble  and  wealthy 
women  of  Israel  to  the  herds  of  Bashan,  it  seems  to 
us  borderhig  on  the  absurd.  But  when  we  learn  that 
Bashan  was  noted  for  the  richness  of  its  pastures, 
and  the  beauty  of  its  cattle  herds,  we  see  that  the 
point  is  in  this,  making  it  a  symbol  of  the  luxury  and 
wantonness  of  the  Israelitish  women,  growing  out  of 
their  riches  and  abundance.  Amos  iv.  Similar  ex- 
amples in  Deut.  xxxiii.,  where  Joseph  is  called  a 
"  young  bullock,"  and  Dan  "  a  lion's  whelp,"  and  in 
Gen.  xlix.,  where  Issachar  is  called  '*  a  strong  ass." 

Matt.  iii.  12,  is  a  figurative  description  of  the 
wicked  Jews  and  of  their  destruction.  "  Whose  fan 
is  in  his  hand,  and  he  will  thoroughly  purge  his  floor, 
and  gather  his  wheat  into  his  garner,  but  he  will 
burn  up  the  chaiF  with  unquenchable  fire." 

This  continued  metaphor  is  drawn  from  the  method 
of  winnowing  grain  in  that  country.  They  used  a 
shovel  or  fan,  throwing  up  the  wheat,  the  wind  driv- 
ing the  chaff  into  a  heap  on  one  side,  and  the  grain 
falling  to  the  ground,  till  the  threshing  floor  was 
throughly  purged  or  cleaned.  The  fire  was  set  to  the 
heap  of  chaff",  which  burned  till  the  whole  was  con- 
sumed ;  and  the  grain  was  gathered  into  the  garner. 
The  metaphor  makes  the  disciples  of  Jesus  the  wheat, 
and  the  Jews  the  chaff^;  and  the  garner  represents 
the  security  promised  to  the  faithful  followers  of  the 
Saviour,  and  the  unquenchable  fire  the  complete  de- 
struction of  the  Jewish  nation.  The  word  "  un- 
quenchable "  simply  implies  that  it  will  burn  till 
what  it  feeds  on  is  wholly  consumed.  As  we  say 
often,  when  the  engines  make  little  impression  on  a 
fire,   "  It  is  useless ;  it  cannot  be  extinguished,"  — 


SCRIPTUEAL  METAPHORS.  421 

meaniDg  not  that  it  will  burn  forever,  but  till  it  has 
entirely  destroyed  the  building.  ^ 

Gehenna^  Hell^  or  the  Yalley  of  Hinnom,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  the  place  where  all  the  filth  and  offal 
of  Jerusalem  were  deposited ;  where  the  worm  revel- 
led in  its  foul  banquet  of  putrid  flesh,  and  perpetual 
fires  were  kept  up  to  consume  the  dead  bodies  and 
offensive  matter  brought  there.  This  place,  therefore, 
so  horrible  in  its  associations,  was  made  the  symbol 
of  every  loathsome  and  dreadful  thing,  and  the  name 
of  it  was  fittingly  employed  by  the  Saviour  as  a 
metaphor  to  describe  the  consuming  judgments  of 
God  on  the  Jewish  nation,  and  especially  the  guilty 
Jerusalem. 

The  word  Devil,  though  not  strictly  coming  under 
this  head,  may  be  noted  here.  The  Jews,  after  the 
captivity,  and  a  long  intercourse  with  the  heathen, 
adopted  the  notion  of  a  powerful  evil  spirit,  waging 
continual  war  against  God,  and  the  bitter  enemy  of 
man's  virtue  and  happiness.  His  name,  *'  devil,"  and 
its  synonA'm  "  satan,"  were  employed  as  metaphors 
by  the  Saviour  to  represent  the  hostility  to  the  gospel 
of  the  Jewish  hierarchy,  (the  Chief  Priests,  Scribes 
and  Pharisees).  They  were  described  as  the  "  devil " 
or  "  evil  one "  who  sought  to  destroy  the  word  of 
God,  and  their  agents  as  his  angels. 

Hence  Chiist  says,  the  enemy  that  sowed  the  tares  is 
the  "  devil  "  ;  and  again,  "  When  any  one  heareth  the 
word  of  the  kingdom,  and  understaudeth  it  not,  then 

'  1  think  the  origin  of  the  metaphor  in  Matt.  iii.  12,  "  unquenchab]3 
fire,"  is  not  the  same  with  that  in  Mark  ix.  43-47,  "  where  the  worm 
dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched."  The  derivation  of  the  Qrst 
is  correctly  given  above,  and  that  of  the  hist  is  explained  in  Section  iii. 
of  Chapter  xii. 


422  THEOLOGY    OF  UNIVERSALIS.^r. 

comotli  the  wicked  one,  and  catclietli  away  that 
whicii  was  sown  in  his  heart."  Matt.  xiii.  Here  the 
devil "  and  the  "  evil  one  "  are  terms  descriptive  of 
the  Scribes  and  Pharisees ;  and  the  metaphor  is  most 
happily  illustrated  in  the  case  of  the  blind  man  in 
John  ix.,  where  they  tried  so  long,  and  argued  so 
earnestly,  and  lied  so  wickedly,  to  catch  away  the 
seed  of  truth  which  Jesus  had  sown  in  his  heart. 
And  how  simply  and  admirably  he  replied  to  them, 
and  confounded  them,  and  sent  them  away  defeated ; 
thereby  illustrating  another  passage  which  says, 
"  Resist  the  devil  and  he  will  flee  from  you."  Jas.  iv. 
The  apostles  employ  the  word,  also,  as  a  figure  to 
represent  the  Heathen  secular  power  in  opposition  to 
Christianity.  The  Kevelator  says  to  the  members  of 
the  church  in  Smyrna,  "  Fear  none  of  these  things 
which  thou  shalt  suffer :  behold,  the  Devil  shall  cast 
some  of  you  into  prison,  that  ye  may  be  tried  ;  and  ye 
shall  have  tribulation  ten  days."  Chapt.  ii.  Here  the 
Devil  is  the  Roman  government  or  magistracy  which 
persecuted  and  imprisoned  the  Christians.  Indeed, 
the  term  is  properly  applied  in  figure  to  any  persons, 
or  influences,  opposed  to  the  Truth  of  God,  or  to  the 
virtue  and  welfare  of  mankind. 

SECTION     IV. 

METAPHORS     AND     IMAGES     TAKEN    FROM    NATURAL    OBJECTS    AND 
PHENOMENA. 

Making  speech  visible,  or  representing  thought  by 
symbols  or  pictures,  was,  perhaps,  the  first  step 
toward  letters  or  a  written  language.  Examples  of 
til  is  kind  of  writing  may  be  seen  in  the  hieroglyphics  of 
Egypt,  and  the  rude  pictures  of  the  Mexicans.     The 


SCRIPTURAL  METAPHORS.  4Z€> 

metliod  was  to  make  one  thing  stand  for  another  to 
which  it  had  some  likeness  or  resemblance.  Visible 
objects  were  made  to  represent  invisible  realities, 
abstractions,  principles,  virtues,  vices,  &c.  For  exam- 
ple :  An  ant  was  used  to  symbolize  industry  ;  a  lion 
represented  courage  or  royalty ;  a  mouse  was  the 
emblem  of  destruction  ;  a  serpent  with  its  tail  in  its 
mouthy  making  a  circle,  represented  eternity ;  the 
sun^  moon  and  stars  were  used  to  represent  States 
and  Empires,  or  the  kings  and  queens  and  nobles  com- 
posing the  State. 

Taking  the  last  example,  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
overthrow  and  destruction  of  a  kingdom  or  nation, 
would  be  set  forth  under  the  figure  of  an  eclipse  of 
the  sun  and  moon,  or  their  being  darkened  or  turned 
into  blood,  the  falling  of  the  stars,  the  destruction  or 
passing  away  of  the  heavens,  &c.  ^ 

These  metaphors  were  taken  up  by  the  Jewish 
prophets,  and  freely  applied  to  the  events  of  their 
own  times  i  and  the  example  was  followed  by  the 
Saviour  and  his  apostles.  Nothing  is  more  com- 
mon in  prophetic  language,  than  to  represent  great 
commotions  and  changes  in  the  earth,  or  wars  and 
revolutions  among  the  nations,  under  the  figure  of 
changes  and  revolutions  in  the  heavens,  or  commo- 
tions among  the  celestial  bodies.  The  fall  of  Babylon 
is  represented  by  the  stars  and  constellations  of 
heaven  withdrawing  their  light ;  and  the  sun  and 
moon  being   darkened.      Isai.   xiii,  9,  10.      The   de- 

■>  Warburton's  Divine  Legation,  vol.  ii.  B.  iv.  Lowth"s  Isaiah,  note 
on  xiii.  10.  Sec,  also,  Newton's  Dissertations  on  the  Prophep^ps. 
LiGiiTFOOT's  works,  vol.  lii.,  vi.  and  xi.  Paige's  Selections,  Sec  c\ru, 
and  ^NUcKMGiiT  on  the  Epistles »  Essay  viii. 


424  THEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

struction  of  Egypt ^  by  the  heaven  being  covered,  the 
sun  enveloped  with  a  cloud,  and  the  moon  withhold- 
ing her  light.  Ezek.  xxxii,  7,  8.  The  destruction  of 
the  Jews  by  Antiochus  Epiphanes  is  represented  by 
casting  down  some  of  the  host  of  heaven,  and  the 
stars,  to  the  ground.     Dan.  viii.  10 

So  Christ  announces  the  passing  away  of  the  old 
dispensation,  and  the  destruction  of  the  Jewish  State 
and  Church :  "  Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of 
those  days  shall  the  sun  be  darkened,  and  the  moon 
shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from 
heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be 
shaken,  and  then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of 
Man  in  heaven,"  &c.  Matt.  xxiv.  And  Peter,  speak- 
ing of  the  same  event,  employs  the  same  metaphors : 
"  The  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in  the 
night ;  in  the  which  the  heavens  shall  pass  aw^ay  (the 
Jewish  State  shall  be  destroyed)  with  a  great  noise, 
and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat,  the 
earth  also,  and  the  works  that  are  therein  shall  be 

burned   up Nevex^theless,   we,  (the  believers,) 

according  to  his  promise,  look  for  new  heavens  and  a 
new  earth  (the  Christian  Gospel  kingdom)  wherein 
dwelleth  righteousness."  2  Pet.  iii.  And  on  a  former 
occasion,  years  before,  (Acts  ii.,)  he  had  quoted  simi- 
lar language  from  Joel,  as  descriptive  of  the  over- 
throw of  the  old  law  dispensation,  secular  and  re- 
ligious—  "This  is  that  wdiich  was  spoken  by  the 
proplict  Joel  (it  Avas  then  being  fulfilled,)  ....  I  will 
show  wonders  in  heaven  above,  and  signs  in  the  earth 
beneath ;  blood,  and  fire,  and  vapor  of  Smoke ;  the 
sun  shall  be  turned  into  darkness,  and  the  moon 
into  blood,  before  that  great  and  notable  day  of  the 


SCRItTUKAL  METAPHOES.  4^5 

Lord  come."  The  wonders  which  the  people  then 
saw,  were  the  heralds  of  the  incoming  of  that  great 
and  notable  day  of  the  Lord,  when  the  sun  and  moon, 
and  the  whole  frame-work  of  the  Jewish  heaven  and 
e-xrth  would  be  dissolved  and  pass  away  in  blood  and 
vapor  of  smoke,  and  give  place  to  the  new  heaven 
and  new  earth  of  the  Gospel. 

The  following  from  Orthodox  theologians  and  com- 
mentators, distinguished  for  their  learning  and  pro- 
found knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  will  further  illus- 
trate the  usage  of  these  bold  metaphors  and  terrible 
images  drawn  from  natural  objects. 

Hammond^  on  2  Peter  iii.  7-13,  says,  "  What  is 
here  thus  expressed  by  St.  Peter,  is  ordinarily  con- 
ceived to  belong  to  the  end  of  the  world,  and  the 
beginning  of  the  Millennium,  or  thousand  yearn. 
And  so,  as  St.  Peter  here  saith,  verse  16,  many  other 
places  in  St.  Paul's  epistles,  and  in  the  gospel,  espe- 
cially Matt,  xxiv.,  are  mistaken  and  wrested.  That  it 
doth  not  belong  to  either  of  these,  but  to  this  fatal 
day  of  the  Jews^  sufficiently  appears  by  the  purport 
of  the  whole  epistle,  which  is  to  arm  them  with  con- 
stancy and  perseverance,  till  that  day  come,  and,  par- 
ticularly in  this  chapter,  to  confute  them  who  object 
against  tho  truth  of  Christ's  prediction,  and  resolve 
it  should  not  come  at  all,  against  whom  he  here  op- 
poses the  certainty,  the  speediness,  and  the  terrible- 
ness  of  its  coming.  That  which  hath  given  occasion 
to  those  other  common  mistakes,  is  especially  the 
hideousness  of  those  judgments  which  fell  upon  that 
people  of  the  Jews,  beyond  all  that  before  are  related 
to  have  fallen  on  them,  or,  indeed,  on  any  other  peo- 
ple, which  made  it  necessary  for  the  prophets,  which 


426  TnEOLOGY    OF   UNIVERSALISM. 

were  to  describe  it,  (and  who  use  tropes  and  figures, 
and  not  plain  expressions,  to  set  down  their  predic- 
tions,) to  express  it  by  these  high  phrases  of  the  pass* 
ing  away  and  dissolving  of  heaven^  and  earthy  and 
elements^  &c.,  which,  sounding  very  tragically,  are 
mistaken  for  the  great,  final  dissolution  of  the  world." 

Witsius,  "  It  certainly  cannot  be  denied,  that  the 
manner  of  speaking,  used  by  the  holy  prophets  and 
apostles,  countenances  the  opinion  of  those  who  call 
the  Messiah's  kingdom  the  beginning  of  the  new 
world,  or  age.  Thus,  according  to  the  prophet  Hag- 
gai  ii.  6,  God  says,  '  When  he  shall  send  him  who  is 
the  desire  of  all  nations,  loill  he  shahe  the  heavens,  the 
earth,  the  sea,  and  the  dry  land.^  Likewise,  accord- 
ing to  Isaiah  Ixv.  17,  God  says,  ^  Behold  I  will  create 
new  heavens,  and  a  new  earth  ;  and  the  former  shall 
not  he  rememhered,  nor  come  into  miiuU  Again  he 
says,  Ixvi.  22,  '  The  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth 
which  I  vnll  make,  shcdl  remain  before  me.^  This 
agrees  with  Rev.  xxi.  1,  where  we  read,  '  And  I  saw  a 
new  heaven,  and  a  new  earth  ;  for  the  former  heaven 
and  the  former  earth  had  passed  away :  and  there 
was  no  more  sea.^  Nor  does  St.  Peter  diflfer  from 
this,  when  he  says,  in  his  second  epistle,  iii.  13,  '  JVev- 
theless,  we,  according  to  his  promise,  look  for  new 
heavens  and  a  new  earth.^  All  these  passages  mean 
that  a  new  scene  of  afl?airs  was  to  be  introduced  into 
the  world,  by  the  Messiah,  so  that  it  might  be  con- 
sidered the  beginning  of  a  new  world  or  age. 

"  I  cannot  persuade  myself  to  withhold  from  the 
readers  of  tliis  dissertation  a  learned  comment,  which 
that  most  eminent  man,  Joh7i  Owen,  offers  upon  this 
last-named  passage  in   St.  Peter.     He  observes  that 


SCRIPTURAL  METAPHORS.  427 

the  apostle,  in  verses  5,  6,  7,  mentions  two  worlds  — 
the  old  one,  which  had  perished  by  water,  and  that 
of  the  then  present  time,  which  was  to  be  consumed 
by  fire.  Then,  in  the  13th  verse,  he  announces  a 
third  world,  to  succeed  the  destruction  of  the  last : 
'  According  to  his  promise^  tee  look  for  new  heavens 
and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness.''  It 
is  not  the  visible  heavens,  and  the  material  earth,  of 
which  the  apostle  treats  in  either  passage ;  because 
that  old  world  of  which  he  speaks  had  been  already 
destroyed  by.  water,  and  yet  the  material  heavens, 
together  with  the  material  earth,  still  remained.  By 
that  world,  therefore,  must  be  understood,  mankind 
living  in  the  world.  They  having  been  destroyed  by 
the  deluge,  there  was  founded  another  world,  for  the 
proper  observance  of  the  worship  of  God.  The 
foundation  of  this  world  God  placed  in  the  family  of 
Noah ;  but  the  whole  fabric  was  completed  by  the 
organization  of  the  Jewish  Church.  And  this  was 
the  world  which  St.  Peter,  in  that  passage,  predicted, 
according  to  the  prophetic  style,  should  be  destroyed 
by  fire.  To  this  purport,  we  read  in  Isaiah  li  15, 16, 
'  1  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  that  divideth  the  sea,  whose 
waves  roared ;  the  Lord  of  Hosts  is  his  name.  And 
I  have  put  my  words  in  thy  mouth,  and  have  covered 
thee  in  the  shadow  of  my  hand,  that  I  might  plant 
the  heavens,  and  lay  the  foundations  of  the  earth,  and 
say  unto  Zion,  thou  art  my  people.^  At  the  time, 
therefore,  when  God,  dividing  the  sea,  and  leading 
forth  his  people  out  of  Egypt,  entrusting  to  them  his 
word,  or  his  law,  with  the  solemn  appointment  of  his 
worship,  thus  forming  them  into  a  church  for  himself, 
then  it  was  that  he  instituted  and  finished  this  new 


•±23  TIIEOLOGT   OF  UNIVEKSALIS^H, 

worlds  the  heavens  and  the  earth  spoken  of.  And,  at 
the  time  when  Peter  wrote,  this  world — i.  e.,  the 
Jewish  Church,  now  apostatized,  was  about  to  be 
destroyed  by  fire^  after  the  same  manner  in  which  that 
old  world  had  perished  in  the  deluge.  It  was  by 
the  conflagation  of  the  temple  and  of  the  city,  that 
the  system  of  that  world  was  dissolved.  And  the 
apostle  commands  the  believers  to  look  for  another 
world,  for  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  according 
to  the  promise  of  God.  That  promise  is  found  in 
Isaiah  Ixv.  17,  and  likewise,  in  the  same  words,  in 
chapter  Ixvi.  32,  '  Behold^  says  he,  '  /  will  create 
new  heavens  and  a  new  earthy  neither  shall  the  former 
he  rememhcredj  nor  come  into  mind.^  In  these  passa- 
ges, the  prophet  describes  the  state  of  the  church 
after  the  advent  of  Christ,  w^hen,  as  it  is  expressed 
in  the  21st  verse  of  the  last  chapter,  God  should  take 
of  the  Gentiles  for  priests  and  Levites,  or,  in  other 
words,  when  he  should  institute  the  gospel  ministry. 
This  state  of  the  church,  therefore,  was  wont  to  be 
designated,  before  the  conflaoTation  of  that  second 
world,  as  the  age  to  come,  or  the  future  world ;  even 
as  St.  Paul  teaches  us,  in  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
ii.  5,  saying,  '  ^or  unto  the  angels  hath  he  not  put 
into  suhjcction  the  world  to  come^  of  which  we  speah '  / 
and  likewise  in  chapter  vi.  5,  where  he  says,  'And 
have  tasted  the  good  word  of  God^  and  the  powers  of 
the  world  to  come,''^  Therefore,  that  first  or  old  world 
perished  by  a  deluge  of  water ;  the  second^  or  that 
existing  in  the  apostle's  time,  he  declares  should  perish 
by  fire  ;  but  the  future,  he  intimates,  was  to  endure 

1  That  the  Jews  used  the  phrase  "  world  to  come  "  to  designate  the 
limes  of  the  Messiah,  is  shown  by  IMede,  Nbwgome,  Hamhmond,  Bishops 


SCRIPTUKAL  METAPHORS.  429 

even  to  the  consummation  of  time.     Thus  far  Owen 
in  Thcologuminis,  Lib.  iii.  cap  1."  ^ 

Other  examples  of  these  figures  may  be  seen  in 
I^ev.  vi,,  where  "  the  stars  fell  unto  the  eartJi^'  which 
shows  that  it  cannot  be  understood  of  the  material 
heavenly  bodies,  since  the  stars  are  suns  millions  of 
times  larger  than  the  earth,  — in  Psalm  xi.,  where 
God  "  rains  fire  and  brimstone,  and  an  horrible  tem- 
pest on  the  wicked,"  wdiere  the  metaphor  is  doubtless 
taken  from  the  volcanic  eruption  and  lightning  tem- 
pest which  caused  the  destruction  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah,  —  in  Eev.  xiv.,  xix.,  xx.,  where  the  beast 
and  the  false  prophet  are  "  cast  into  a  lake  of  fire 
burning  with  brimstone,"  "  the  smoke  of  their  tor- 
ment ascending  up  forever  and  ever "  ;  images  un- 
questionably borrowed  from  the  fiery  overthrow  of 
the  cities  of  the  plain,  the  smoke  of  whose  destruc- 
tion continued,  as  affirmed,  to  ascend  for  ages,  even 
to  the  time  of  the  apostles.  And  even  now,  the 
whole  region  of  the  Dead  Sea  bears  indubitable 
proof  of  its  volcanic  character.  ^     It  is  not  strange, 

1  Ilermanni  Witsii  Dissertat  de  Seculo  hoc  et  futuro.  Sec.  25,  26, 
27  ;  inter  J.  G.  Meuscbeuii  Novum  Testamentum  ex  Talmude  Illus- 
tratum,  pp.  1179,  1180.    Cited  by  Paige,  pp.  307-310, 

2  Philo  (Z)e  vita  Mosis,  Lib,  ii. ),  and  Josephus  { Jewish  JVars^  B. 
iv.  cajj.  8,)  both  witness  to  the  existence,  in  their  day,  of  memorials  of 
the  overthrow  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah;  ruins,  ashes,  brimstone,  smoke 
and  occasional  flames,  indicative  of  the  agencies  by  which  their  destruc- 
tion was  accomplished.  That  the  appearances  continue  to  our  time, 
may  be  seen  in  the  travels  of  Ali  Bey,  Volney,  Pococke,  Shaw  and 
others.  See,  also,  Horne,  vol,  iii.  70-74;  and  Lynch's  Expedition  to 
the  Dead  Sea,  chapters  xii.-xvii.  These  facts  show  that  Jude  meant 
something  by  the  expression,*'  set  forth  as  an  example,  "  Dr.  Whitby 
says:  "  I  conceive  they  they  are  said  to  svffer  the  vengeance  of  eternal 
fire^  not  because  their  souls  are  at  present  punished  in  hell  fire,  but  be- 
cause they  and  their  cities  perished  from  that  fire  from  heaven  wbich 


l30  XnEOLOGY  OF   UNIYEESALISJI, 

therefore,  tliat,  tlius  ""  set  forth  for  an  example  suf- 
ferlng  the  vengeance  of  eternal  fire,"  (Jude  7,)  these 
cities,  or  the  manner  of  their  destruction,  should 
furnish  the  metaphor  of  fire  and  brimstone  and  smoke 
as  fitting  descriptions  of  the  divine  judgments  on  the 
enemies  af  the  truth,  on  false  professors,  apostates 
and  2>ersecuting  heathen. 

Even  in  the  Pentateuch,  we  find  a  similar  use 
of  this  ex:?imple  of  tliyine  judgment.  Speaking  of 
those  who  shauld  despise  the  laws  of  God,  it  is  said 
of  them  and  the'  land  of  their  abode,  "And  the 
whole  land  thereof  (shall  be)  In^imstone^  and  salt ^  and 
hurninff^  like  the  overthrow  of  Sodom  and  Gomor- 
rah."    Deut.  xxix.  20-24. 

But  the  metaphors  drawn  from  nature  are  not  all 
symbolic  of  judgments ;  and  I  cannot  better  close 
this  chapter,  and  the  Book,  than  bj  directing  the 
mind  of  the  reader  to  the  exquisitely  beautiful  figures 
of  the  evangelical  prophet,  wherein  the  Spirit,  through 
him,  describes  the  blessings  of  the  Messianic  reign, 
and  the  great  restoration  which  is  to  be  the  crown  of 
its  glory.  Before  the  coming  of  Clirist  and  his  Gos- 
pel, the  earth  was  a  moral  desert,  a  howding  wilder^ 
ness ;  and  the  renewal  wrought  by  these  is  thus 
described : 

"  The  wilderness,  and  the  solitary  place,  shall  be 
glad  for  them  ;  and  the  desert  shall  blossom  as  the 
rose.  It  shall  blossom  abundantly,  and  rejoice  even 
with  joy  and  singing  i  the  glory  of  Lebanon  shall  be 

bi'ought,  a  perpetual  and  iri'eparablc  destruction  on  them  and  their 
cities."  Nothing  is  more  common  and  familiar  in  Scrijjture  than  to 
represent  a  thorough  and  irreparable  vastation,  whose  effects  and  signs 
bliould  be  still  remaining,  by  the  Avord  everlasting."      So   ILljimom/-, 

DODDRIDGK*  &C. 


SCRIPTURAL  METAPHORS.  431 

giYen  unto  it,  the  excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sliaron. 
They  shall  see  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and  the  excel- 
iency  of  our  God.  For  in  the  wilderness  shall  waters 
break  out,  and  streams  in  the  desert ;  and  th^  parch- 
ed ground  shall  become  a  pool,  and  the  thirsty  land 
springs  of  water."  And  then  describing  the  great 
"  high-way  of  Holiness  "  over  which  no  evil  or  hurt- 
ful thing  shall  pass,  "  no  lion  nor  any  ravenous  beast ;" 
it  is  said,  "  But  the  redeemed  shall  walk  there  ;  and 
the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return,  and  come  to 
Zion  with  songs  and  everlasting  joy  upon  their 
heads  :  the}^  shall  obtain  joy  and  gladness,  and  sor- 
row and  sighing  shall  flee  away,''''     Isa.  xxxv. 

What  a  delightful  and  inspiring  representation  of 
the  renovating  forces  of  the  gospel  in  the  world  made 
desolate,  even  a  barren  waste,  by  the  baleful  in- 
fluence of  sin.  The  moral  wilderness  shall  burst 
into  living  springs  and  streams,  and  blossom  as  the 
rose  ;  and  the  waste  places  of  evil  shall  finally  be 
clothed  in  the  abounding  foliage  and  fruitage  of 
Lebanon,  and  in  all  the  glorious  beauty  of  Carmel 
and  Sharon;  while  the  "  way  of  Holiness,"  runnino* 
like  a  track  of  light  through  all  this  land  of  promise, 
leads  up  to  the  gates  of  Paradise  ;  and  over  it  crowd 
the  returning  prodigals,  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord, 
to  the  peace  and  security  and  blessedness  of  the 
Father's  house. 

And  this  grand  consummation  of  the  Saviour's 
reign  and  mission  is  described  under  another  meta- 
phor, derived  from  the  mountains  which  are  mention- 
ed in  the  preceding  figure  or  allegory.  Mountains  are 
a  frequent  metaphor  in  the  Scriptures  for  political 
kingdoms  and  empires  ;  and  hence    are  employed  as 


432  THEOLOGY    OF    UXIVERSALIS31. 

symbols  also  of  the  spiritual  kingdom  of  Christ, 
which  is  called  "  the  Mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  ;  " 
and  is  to  be  "  established  in  the  top  of  the  mountains," 
or  to  prevail  over  all  other  kingdoms.  Isa.  ii.  Ac- 
cordingly -vve  have  the  following  beautiful  meta- 
phorical description  of  this  result :  "  And  in  this 
mountain  shall  the  Lord  of  hosts  make  unto  all  peo- 
ple a  feast  of  fat  things  ....  and  he  will  destroy  in 
this  mountain  the  face  of  the  coverino^  cast  over  all 
people,  and  the  vail  that  is  spread  over  all  nations. 
He  will  swallow  up  death  in  victory  ;  and  the  Loi^ 
God  will  wij^e  away  tears  from  off  all  faces  ;  and 
the  rebuke  of  his  people  shall  he  take  away  from  off 
all  the  earth.  For  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it !  "  Isa. 
XXV.  Compare  with  1  Cor.  xv.,  where  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  apostle  applies  this  prophetic  vision  of  the 
future  to  the  glorious  conclusion  of  the  Saviour's 
reign  ;  when,  evil  abolished,  death  destroyed,  and  all 
souls  lifted  by  the  resurrection  into  "  the  image  of 
the  heavenly,"  he  delivers  up  the  kingdom  to  the 
Father,  and  God  is  henceforth  all  in  all. 

And  thus  the  Theology  of  Uxiveesalism, 
which  begins  in  the  Wisdom  and  Power  and  Justice 
and  Goodness  of  God,  is  perfected  in  the  complete 
triumph  of  Christ,  and  ends  in  the  Immortal  Life 
and  Blessedness  of  Man. 


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